The Heat Of The Moment
by EmeraldEchizen
Summary: After the Sports Festival at UA, Yaoyorozu Momo comes across an ailing Todoroki Shouto. Her helping him in that moment sparks a bizarre connection between the two. Will uncontrollable forces bring about an unwanted bond, or kindle something else entirely?
1. A Fateful Encounter

{Author note: This fanfic takes place directly after the events of the UA Sports festival and loosely follows the original timeline of the manga/anime (Only change is that the UA students have already been in dorms since the start of the year). To be honest I was surprised by the lack of My hero fanfiction especially with certain ships and decided there needs to be more. This is my first Fanfic so please comment your thoughts so I can improve my writing (TY). This story will follow Yaoyorozu Momo as she struggles to comprehend the aloof and stoic Todoroki Shoto who's display of both his fire and ice abilities has begun to affect both him and Momo in Unbelievable ways.}

An air of excitement still hung low over the UA campus a day after the end of the sports festival. Students from all departments buzzed about the select elite freshman who had truly impressed the audience and potential hero agencies with their tactics and awe inspiring quirks. Endeavors son had put himself on the map as the hero to watch among an extremely talented Freshman class. While anyone who was able to fight in the final round of 16 would consider themselves extremely fortunate, Yaoyorozu Momo was the exception. Even a day after the event, the sting of defeat and the humiliation was just as strong as when she was so easily swept from the arena by the shadow using Tokoyami . A run was the only way she could think of to distract herself.

The horizon fell into a dark purple color as the sun set and the lights along the trail at UA flickered on. Momo trudged onward, jogging with the weight of guilt and shame that had burdened her since her defeat. The sting of sweat in her eyes went unnoticed as her thoughts wandered away from her the path in front of her and towards a means of becoming the hero she knew she could be.

"I need to be faster with my quirk, I can't stay the same as I am now" she thought to herself.

"I got into UA through recommendation; that means I should be a cut above the rest!"

But in reality she felt inferior to her classmates outside of academics.

"Im supposed to better and yet, when compared to someone like that damn ice prince… I feel worthless."

Not only was Todoroki a powerhouse with his ice ability, but with the fusion of fire and ice he displayed against Midoriya, he was an unstoppable force of nature. She hated herself for feeling resent and jealousy towards a fellow student. She didn't want to cast disdain onto others but as her eyes began to sting with tears as well as sweat, she couldn't help it. She had been sprinting full speed for a good distance out of frustration when she suddenly came to a stop to catch her breath and wipe the tears running down her face. Hands on her knees and gasping for breath, she resolved herself then and there that she would do better. She would live up to the recommendation that got her into UA no matter what.

Momo let down her now damp hair as she began to walk the remaining distance to her dormitory. Night had fully overtaken the sky revealing a sea of light reflected by the stars. She received this beautiful sight along with a new sense of purpose. "I really can't believe I was thinking those cruel things about Todoroki, perhaps I should congratulate him on his performance as a way to make up for-"

Her thought was suddenly interrupted by loud, ragged breathing. The urgency and desperation in that voice was as clear as the stars in the sky that night. Momo's hero senses kicked in immediately as she sprinted by the trails' dimly lit shrubbery, searching for the source. She arrived at an open area in front of what she now recognized as the boys' dormitory, and there she found him. Sprawled out on the damp cobblestone path clutching his chest was the ice prince himself: Todoroki.

She ignored the twisting feelings in her heart upon seeing him and hurried to his aid.

"Todoroki-san! Are you ok? I'm going to bring help right away so let me get you upright."

Todoroki was visibly shaken up while grabbing at the chest of the long sleeve sports tee he was wearing and gasping for air like a fish out of water. Seeing the always stoic Todoroki in this state was seriously disturbing to Momo who had no idea what was wrong with him.

" Stay right here and try to breath slowly Todoroki-San I'm gonna get help ri-"

She was cut off when Todoroki grasped her right wrist tightly and shook his head. His breathing had slowed slightly but his flushed cheeks were nearing the color of his scar.

"I'm gonna be fine I just need a minute, don't draw more attention to this then it needs" he said in between deep shaky breaths.

He was meeting her eyes directly and she could tell he meant what he said.

"Todoroki-San… this was serious whatever it was and I think you really need to get medical attention."

She wanted to leave to get help but he hadn't relaxed his grip on her wrist which she began to get more and more conscious of. His breathing was getting calmer little by little.

Listen Yaoyorozu, thank you for helping. I've been feeling a bit off ever since the sports festival but I swear to you I'm fine."

The sincerity in his voice shocked her since the only emotion she had ever seen him display was a lack thereof. Not to mention the handsome boy's uncharacteristically disheveled appearance and rosy skin was enough to make any girl hear out to his reasoning. It was true that his breathes were now even.

"Y-you seem better now," Momo stammered "but at least let me help you to your dorm room."

Maybe because of her own rise in temperature upon seeing Todoroki in such a state she failed to notice the boy's still climbing temperature from the grip of his hand. He looked like he wanted to argue at first but he resigned himself and simply nodded his head. She put his arm up on her shoulders and helped him to the dorm.

By now it was fairly late and there were classes tomorrow so all of the other boys had retired to their rooms, saving Todoroki the embarrassment of being seen by anyone else in his current state. The elevator reached the floor of his room and Momo led him the whole way. Her concern was once again growing as the half and half boy was muttering under his breath, almost like he was talking in his sleep.

She opened his room door and helped him lay down on his traditional Japanese bed. Momo would never enter a boys room like this alone but this case was clearly different. She remained composed and got him on his back in bed, a deed well done in her mind considering the thoughts that she had had earlier in the day.

The half and half boy started to form a coherent sentence as he said in a daze,

"You know Yaoyorozu… I think… We're alike in some ways."

She struggled to hear his voice so she moved forward and grabbed his outreached hand which sent her into a shock. This was the first time they had skin contact since he had first grabbed her wrist.

"MY GOD Todoroki-San! You're skin is scalding hot! This can't be-"

He had been gazing glassy eyed at her for a minute until her sudden outburst triggered a response neither of the two could comprehend. The young man had made a habit of cutting off his classmate that night but this went beyond an interruption.

He pulled her down by the hand, rose up and planted his searing hot lips onto hers. Momo's eyes shot open at the initial shock of heat, but then it happened. Her entire body was suddenly surrounded by a warmth unknown to her. She could feel the heat from his lips on every inch of her skin as if she had been suddenly dropped into a hot spring, submerged in a liquid form of fire, all from the touch of his lips.

Time ceased to exist in that moment for Momo but the kiss only lasted a few seconds.

Todoroki looked as if an enormous burden had been lifted from him as his breathing eased up. She felt his gaze on her and suddenly saw past the mask he put had always put on. Right under her was the face of a boy who had known pain and heartache, but also comfort and love.

All the emotions he never let cross his face seemed to come out at this moment, and Yaoyorozu couldn't help but notice the beautiful sight in front of her. Then, she slowly began to question what in the world had just happened. She heard him whisper her name underneath his breath as he closed his eyes. He seemed to have sunken into a deep sleep as his face relaxed and regular breathing returned. She felt his hand once again and noticed it was much cooler than earlier. Then it suddenly dawned on her that…

"AHHHH WHAT THE HELL DID HE JUST DO!?" She screamed in her head.

"My first kiss just got taken by some guy I barely…AAAGGH!"

Momo practically jumped out the boys room and sprinted to wherever wasn't near that damn ice prince. She left the boys dorm and hurriedly walked to her own residence while struggling to comprehend the feelings in heart. Just recently she had wished bad fortune onto the half and half boy but now she felt she had seen something no else had: a vulnerable, emotional Todoroki.

Reminding herself of the boys condition she texted Midoriya, who seemed close to him, that he should check on him first thing in the morning. After sending the text she covered her mouth with her right hand trying to quell the feeling that still lingered. She hurried past a couple of the girls in the lobby of the dorm who sent questioning looks to each other. Closing her door and diving into her king size bed, the creation girl was at a loss. She traced her lips unable to forget what had just transpired. She shook herself from the trance she was in and tried to get some sleep. There was something still concerning her however. She whispered aloud to herself.

"I've barely even spoken with Todoroki since we started attending UA. So then why… why do I feel like I understand exactly what he was feeling at that moment. Like we were connected…"

With these thoughts stuck in her mind, Yaoyorozu Momo drifted into a deep sleep.


	2. Pain Relief

Momo awoke pleasantly the next morning and headed to the bathroom to get ready for class. She felt like she had a long dream and yet felt fairly rested. She was in the middle of brushing her teeth when she noticed a slight redness on her right wrist which was probably nothing… "**ooooh**" she groaned as she put the pieces together.

The previous nights events came rushing back to her in a flood of emotions and confusion. She had no idea how to process what had happened so she pushed all of those thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on preparing for class.

She left her room clad in the prestigious UA uniform with her school bag in hand. She was feeling fairly calm despite last nights… despite whatever happened to her last night. She cleared her throat and got into the elevator only to get hit in the back by a flying UFO.

"Momoooo Chan!" the alien like Mina yelled out with excitement as she landed back down on earth. Jirou followed behind her and greeted her friend much more calmly.

"Hey Momo, we were actually just talking about how last night you seemed like you were sick or something" the earjack hero pointed out.

"Yeah Momo! You brushed right by us in the lobby without even looking at us" the horned girl pouted.

Yaoyorozu tried to keep her cool and play down their worries.

"Haha yeah i'm sorry about that guys, I had just finished a run and was feeling light headed. I didn't mean to brush you off, you know that we're good friends."

She smiled at the pair since she did indeed find comfort in their company.

"Momooo-chan! I knew you loved us! Mina cried out as the pair giggled at their pink friend.

"I'm glad you're alright Momo, we were beginning to think you had started seeing a boy or something since your face was so red."

Jirou had stated this jokingly since Momo had never been drawn to such things as romance before but was left rather surprised when a hint of red appeared on the girls face.

"G-Guys I'm just a little under the weather I suppose, it's nothing a future hero can't handle."

Both Jirou and Mina glanced at each other and mentally took note to discuss the sight a blushing momo in private.

"Well if you say so Momo chan, Ah! We're gonna be late lets rush guys, Momo create us a golf cart!"

"Maybe some other time" Momo laughed.

She was glad that she had such good friends to relieve herself of worry with. The fact that they didn't push any further into the matter of last night also helped. She didn't want to think about it at all. But her thoughts shifted to those of worry as she thought about if Todoroki was going to be ok with a temperature so high.

She shook her head and tried to clear her mind for class. The trio approached the Shiny glass structure that was the UA school that had been less and less impressive as it reminded them of schoolwork and studying.

Aizawa sensei unfurled himself out of his sleeping bag and began the lecture on future hero internships. Momo found herself struggling more and more to focus on what he was saying when the cause of last night's drama was seated directly to her right.

He appeared to be in perfect stoic form as if last night had never occured and it was driving her crazy. Midoriya had returned her text with a simple "he seems to be just fine Yaoyorozu-san" and now she saw for herself that it was true.

A vein was near popping in her forehead as she thought of all that she went through to help this annoyingly perfect boy. She could feel her blood boiling with rage and thought about giving him a piece of her mind after class. She was lost in her anger when she noticed that someone was trying to talk to her.

Apparently the lecture had already ended and a certain someone was asking her a question.

"Yaoyorozu, where do you plan on doing your doing your internship" asked Todoroki.

Yaoyorozu turned to him for a solid five seconds with an almost comical dumbfounded expression. Did he really think he could just act like last night never happened? How was she supposed to respond normally right now. It just wasn't possible. She snapped back to reality after realizing what she was doing and tried to restrain her rage.

"I need to use the restroom" her brain popping out the safest thing possible in emergency mode. She could faintly hear him respond with a questioning "OK" as she hastily left the room.

She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror after splashing water in her face to cool off. This wasn't like her. She was the heir of Yaoyorozu family fortune and was raised to act as such. She didn't lose her cool and she would never act improper. This was all that "perfect ice prince's" fault.

She was overwhelmed with these strange feelings of anger and… warmth. "Ugh!" she groaned out loud, confused as to how to handle this situation. She wanted to know exactly what Todoroki was thinking but she couldn't bear to deal with the embarrassment she felt.

Momo returned to class and avoided eye contact with the boy next to her for the rest of the school day.

She exited the lockers in a spaghetti strap athletic top and black leggings, ready for a workout. She was managing her emotions better than she expected and was on her way to the training facility on campus for independent training when the one person she couldn't handle seeing approached her from the side.

"Excuse me Yaoyorozu, are you feeling ok?"

She paused for a moment to control herself before turning to him and shooting back a fierce glare. His neutral facial expression remained the same as he asked "I was wondering if I did something to upset you. I could feel you fuming all through class, ah, I mean no offense."

She couldn't believe he had the audacity to ask if he did something. Who wouldn't be furious in her predicament?

"You really don't know how what happened last night could have upset me? Who do you think you are?"

She turned around in a fit of rage when a hand suddenly fell on her shoulder.

"You know what happened to me last night? All I remember was that I was jogging back to the dorm and then it's hazy from them there but I think someone helped me back to my room. I'm fairly certain it was Midoriyama since he checked on me that morning. Do you know what anything about it?"

Momo knew Todoroki was not a person to lie but… he really didn't remember anything?

"I don't think you're lying but last night- !" She jolted backwards at a sudden pain that she realized had been an extremely cold sharpness from the hand on her shoulder. Along with the pain was a sudden rush of emotions-confusion, guilt, worry-all coursed through. She panicked.

"What are you thinking using your quirk on a fellow student how dare you! Get away from me!"

She sprinted away from the scene leaving Todoroki standing there at a loss. Momo didn't stop sprinting until she reached the dorm where she flew up the staircase on the side of the building and rushed to her room. She slammed the door shut and fell to her knees trying to recover her breath. The anger in her burned but for some reason she understood profoundly that Todoroki wasn't the kind of person who would hurt anyone without a reason. But then why had he used his quirk on her in a way that would cause her pain?

She thought back to the incident as she moved to her bed and sprawled out onto it. She had lost her cool and snapped at Todoroki in an unfitting manner even after she had promised herself she would act with integrity. She let out a deep sigh. To much had happened in the last couple of days for her to process it all.

Her thoughts were so scattered and the stoic prodigy was the main cause. She cursed herself once more for the negative feelings she had and just wanted to forget them like Todoroki had apparently forgotten last night.

She lay there trying to do so until a sudden revelation forced a gasp to escape her lips. Todoroki had touched her shoulder with his left hand, the side of his body that could only produce fire. How was that possible when she definitely had felt the touch of ice on her skin? Nothing made sense to her at all. She suddenly became light headed as her thoughts swirled and her head found her oversized pillow as sleep soon followed.

Heat. Heat was the only thing she could feel. Everywhere around her glowed orange and yellow as she drifted in the warmth itself. It was this feeling, the feeling that she experienced when her lips met Todoroki's that overtook her. It became overwhelming, growing hotter and hotter until warmth became to much to bear and her skin began to redden. She was about to scream in pain when suddenly she awoke to a dark room, filling with a dim yellow color from the path lights outside.

She was gasping for breath that she couldn't seem to find. The heat from her dream still encapsulated her in a world of discomfort. She needed some kind of relief from this feeling she thought. She wobbled to the bathroom to splash her face with cold water but when the water hit her skin, she felt no temperature from it all.

Looking at her hands and then at her face, she started tearing up in frustration. She couldn't feel anything as if the heat had numbed her sense of touch into nothing. She needed something that could fix this anguish, anything that would anchor her back into her herself.

Suddenly, the only thing she could think about was the feeling she experienced last night. The ecstasy she felt then was the antithesis of what she was going through now. All reason left her mind, as she left her room and stumbled into the elevator. Somehow she just knew that she needed to get outside, maybe the cool night air would cure what ailed her.

She realized with dismay as she left the dorm that this was not the case. The heat only grew more intense, its grip over her body forcing her to contort her face into a tight grimace. She fell to cobblestone below, her hands feeling not the moist rock but the force of an ever increasing heat. Her senses were leaving her body as she cried out in the loudest voice she could muster, "Somebody… Please, Help…. I need… Help".

The pressure around her threatened to collapse her entire being in on itself. Her lungs became unable to expand as her vision began to blur from the lack of oxygen She was so scared. It was then that she remembered who she was. Yaoyorozu Momo was not a person to give up, She wanted to live more than anything. She was a fighter and a hero; someone who makes a difference. She couldn't let this unfathomable curse take her life. No, She needed to live, she wanted to live so badly. Something could save her, she just knew it. Something could…

"Yaoyorozu!" Todoroki screamed as he appeared on the UA Trail and started sprinting towards Momo. "What happened!? Are you- You're burning up! How did this-"

This time it was the creation girl's turn to cut off the ice prince. Her body moved on its own, seeking a cure, her mind only vaguely aware that she had pushed the boy down onto the grass and enveloped her lips with his own.

The instant their lips touched Momo's mind left her body. The heat that had almost taken her life seemed to crack away as an icy cool substance seeped into every part of her mind.

She didn't know how or why but in this lucid dream state she was seeing herself from someone else's view. Her blushed look from below, Her calm profile, The back of her head disappearing from sight. Along with these visions came a flurry of emotions. She felt relief, worry, sadness all at once. These feelings settled into her heart as the icy chill had pooled around her body and eased the pain of heat long forgotten.

She had become completely submerged into a sea of clarity that had revived her senses and brought with them a sense of this newfound sense of herself. She opened her eyes and before her was Todoroki's blushing face only inches away. Tears of relief escaped escaped her eyes and fell onto his cheeks.

She saw his crestfallen expression and knew that somehow all her thoughts and emotions had been conveyed directly to him. He was unable to move or speak and she knew for a fact that whatever had just occurred was a mystery to him as well. A faint grin appeared on her lips.

"Do you remember now?"

Momo let out a small chuckle and then the exhaustion from the ordeal hit her as the world spun around her into darkness.


	3. The K Word

The sight that met her eyes was a ceiling that didn't belong to her. Momo awoke to find herself in a comfortable hospital bed with the sun breaking through from the window beside her. She sat up in a daze and tried to collect her thoughts. The last thing she remembered… "Oh my goooood" she buried her face in her hands at the memory of desperately kissing The ice prince himself. The next thing she remembered was the pain she had felt that night and she shuddered at the thought.

What happened to her? Why did she have to feel such pain? The question most on her mind though was what did Todoroki have to do with all of this? These past two nights had felt like weeks and although her body felt rested her mind was drained. She heard a knock on the door as recovery girl entered the room.

"Ah you're awake! That's great, are you feeling better?"

"I feel fine actually, just a bit of a headache"

"That's great hun, The entire staff on call last night was scared for you. The entrance that Todoroki boy made was so dramatic! He carried you in screaming for help but thankfully you were just passed out from exhaustion."

"A-Ah, I-I see" her face reddened and turned to the side at the mention of his name.

"There are actually some students here to check on you should I send them in?"

Momo nodded her head but she suddenly began to worry about if Todoroki was about to come into the room. She didn't know if she could face him after what had happened last night. To her surprise and delight her two most trusted friends came running through the door and to her side.

"MOOMOOOO CHAAAN!"

Mina was literally soaking herself and Momo's bed with tears due to her quirk which earned her a headrub from Momo who was thankful to have such a concerned friend. Jirou approached Momo from the other side of the bed as the waterworks continued.

"You gave us quite a scare there Momo, are you feeling alright?"

Momo could only nod her head and give a small smile since she still didn't understand what was happening to her.

"Last night I woke up to the sound of Todoroki screaming your name and when i looked out my window he had picked you up in his arms and shot into the air using his ice quirk to take you here in a hurry. I was so scared… I grabbed Mina out of bed and followed the trail of ice here. I'm just so glad you're alright."

Jirous eyes watered as she held back tears. Momo gave her a hug to reassure her that she was fine and Jirou collected herself.

"When we got here last night the doctors said they were treating you and couldn't take visitors so we went to the lobby to wait on you. That's where we found Todoroki, he was sitting there looking worried so we asked him about what happened but…"

Momo freaked out a little after hearing that, did he really tell them about THAT?

"He just said that he was on a late night run on found you in this state"

Momo let out an internal sigh of relief hearing that he hadn't said anything more.

"If you're feeling better Momo, do you think you could tell us what happened?"

Momo met the eyes of her friend but suddenly look away. How could she explain any of what had happened without seeming crazy.

"To be honest I'm not really sure myself. It's just I'm been feeling more and more feverish since yesterday and I guess it was just too much for my body to handle. It was scary, and the only real reason behind any of it happening has to be related to the ki-" **F U C K**.

Mina's head shot straight up after hearing the beginning of that oh so scandalous word. She stared straight at Momo who would have laughed out loud in any other situation at her acid tear covered face.

"Momo… you're still in the hospital so it's important to stay calm and recov-GIRL DID YOU AND TODOROKI K-K-K-KISS LIKE FOR REAL LIKE ACTUALLY LIKE… god I'm wet just thinking ab-"

She was interrupted by a kick to the face by Jirou which sent her flying into the wall behind her.

"Girl you're always wet everywhere cuz of your quirk don't go giving people the wrong idea you ditz."

Momo was extremely happy to be saved by Jirou in that moment, until Jirou turned to Momo and grinned sheepishly. ** K**.

"So Momo, how much of what that alien said is true?"

Momo feigned an innocent smile as she trying to act clueless but Jirou could read her like a book. Momo could tell the jig was up but she had to think of a way to explain her situation normally.

"Ok listen Jirou, I helped him back to his dorm two nights ago when I found him on the ground and in pain and then HE kissed ME. Not only that but whatever sickness he had must have given to me since I started feeling terribly feverish and that's how I ended up here."

"So you're saying this is all his fault? Do I need to kick some pretty boy ass?"

She punched her palm as flames erupted in her eyes causing Momo to shudder.

"No! No! It's not like that… I know that Todoroki would never put me in harms way. He's just as confused as I am about the whole situation."

"He's confused too? So you already talked to him about?"

"I… yes, I did" Momo had to lie because she had no idea why she was so sure of Todoroki's thoughts on the matter. She didn't want her friends to worry anymore they already were…"

"AH!" Mina finally regained consciousness and sat up with a bloody nose after the round house kick from Jirou.

"Sooo what were talking about?"

The pair giggled at Mina's always surprising reaction to being kicked by Jirou and Momo was especially glad the kick had helped her forget the "K word" she had overheard. Jirou Leaned in towards Momo and whispered,

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Momo mouthed a thank you in response.

"I'm gonna head back to class with Ms. Alien here so come and talk to us as soon as you get discharged pretty lady."

Momo smiled and sent them off with a wave. Now alone with her thoughts, the creation girl decided to look up training regimes to distract herself. The Last two nights had distracted her but she was still resolved to better herself as a hero. She spent the remaining hours of her stay planning ways to quicken and improve her creation in combat. It wasn't until late afternoon that Recovery girl decided that she was perfectly healthy and good to go.

Momo stepped on the cobblestone path of UA as the hospitals glass doors shut behind her. She was clad in a pink top and skinny jeans that Jirou had grabbed for her earlier. The sun was almost completely set, turning the horizon into a beautiful mixture of red, orange, and yellow reflected across the campus she called home. The colors felt familiar to her and she realized why. The color and warmth from the sunset at that moment felt just like the first kiss Todoroki had took from her. Rather than being upset about it as she had before, she felt the light hit her skin and smiled. Her body felt so relaxed as she basked in the light. Although it was shocking and unexpected, her first kiss had been special in its own right.

She continued on the path, smile still on her face but she suddenly caught her breath. The path leading to the hospital went around a large fountain surrounded by park benches and rising from one in front of her was the boy at the heart of her bizarre situation: Todoroki Shouto.


	4. Good Friends

Yaoyorozu Momo considered herself to be a sensible person in every way possible. Her studies and preparation for life as a hero had been occupied almost all of her time ever since she could remember. She only had a few close friends but that was enough to keep her happy and on the right path towards her goals. Everything she did was sensible in that regard and she never faltered. That is, until two days ago.

Seeing Todoroki standing in her path was like seeing her perfectly sensible and proper world crumble around her. She felt scared more than anything as Todoroki slowly approached her.

"Yaoyorozu… I'm glad you're ok."

He looked away, guilt etched into his face.

"Can we please talk about what's been happening to us recently?"

He asked in a tone that implicated his own fear of the situation so she quickly nodded her head. The pair sat down on a bench facing towards the disappearing sun. Neither of them spoke a word for a good while , both mulling over in their minds exactly what to say. Todoroki began as honestly as possible.

"During the sports festival, I used my quirk to the fullest extent for the first time. I hated the part of me that came from my father and I rejected him entirely. It took Midoriyama pushing me to the breaking point for me to realize that my power is my own and I can use it guilt free."

Yaoyorozu was staring at him unable to believe he was opening up to her about such a sensitive topic.

"Everything that has been happening to the both of us started after that day. Something changed with my quirk and I don't understand it. I'm truly fearful about what this all means but the fact you were hurt as a result scares me the most. It's my fault that you caught up in this mess and I'm very sorry for that… I was the one who… kissed you first after all."

Momo's face changed from an embarrassing expression of wonderment to shocked anger as she was about to accuse the boy for lying to her face about his memory loss, but he stopped her.

"Listen Yaoyorozu, I really didn't remember much that night until," He angled his face away from hers for a moment before continuing "You kissed me. After you did it was like I saw everything that happened that night from your point of view. And I felt… everything you felt."

He now turned to face her and even the red color of the setting sun couldn't hide the blushing of his face. Momo didn't understand what this pretty boy was saying and to hide her own confusion she scoffed at him.

"So, let me get this straight. You didn't remember anything from that night until we kissed? How does that even… make…"

The revelation hit her like a truck. When he kissed her for the first time she felt everything he was feeling at that moment. She felt like she saw past the mask he always wore. Then during the second kiss she saw herself from someone else's point of view, the same phenomenon he was describing. Even later on, she could somehow tell that Todoroki was definitely as confused as her by all the events taking place.

Momo calmed herself as she folded her hands together on her lap and looked at them.

"So we're somehow connected by this strange change in your quirk and you have no idea why?"

She stated her question with a hint of fear. Todoroki leaned forward putting his hands on the top of his head.

"I'm sorry, I want you to know that I would never cause harm to anyone, especially a classmate. I completely understand if you would want nothing to do with me from now on with all the harm I've caused you."

Todoroki stood turned to her and bowed his head almost parallel to the floor.

"I'm truly sorry."

Momo immediately panicked upon seeing the all mighty son of Endeavor (pun not intended) do something that would disgrace him in the eyes of others.

"No! Please lift your head Todoroki-San."

She got up and quickly looked around to make sure no one else had witnessed the boys self degrading action. He eventually rose back up to meet Momo's gaze.

"I'm honestly not that upset with you. I understand that a lot of what has happened was as a result of your quirk reacting in a way that was out of your control. I know that you're not a bad person, this connection we have tells me that at the very least."

She felt her blood rush as she spoke these words that seemed so intimate. She glanced at the boy hoping he would understand her.

"I appreciate you saying those words Yaoyorozu, but this was my fault entirely. I need to find answers about my quirk as soon as possible for both our sakes. I will do whatever I can to ensure that you don't have to go through an experience like that again."

Momo simply nodded in response and Todoroki turned around to leave. She watched the back of his head as he walked further away, hands in his pockets. The words she didn't realize she wanted to say somehow found their way past her lips.

"Todoroki-San!"

She chased after him. He turned; surprised that she still wanted to talk to him. Momo approached the boy and looked into his eyes but was unable to maintain her gaze as she spoke.

"I just have one question Todoroki-San. Was it just by chance that I was the person involved in this? Could it have been anyone?"

Todoroki paused in contemplation. He looked out at the sunset as he answered.

"To be honest I have no clue. Maybe it could have been anyone…"

he turned back towards the girl in front of him. He smiled softly.

"but I'm glad that you were the one to help me. I meant it when I said that we're alike. I hope you don't mind me saying that. Have a good night Yaoyorozu."

He turned away just as Momo's face turned the color of a ripe tomato. Did he even realize what he had just said? To the pure maiden of the Yaoyorozu family, that was almost like a flat out confession of love. She shook her head vigorously as she remembered Todoroki's characteristic, lack of social cues and realized that he probably just meant to make her comfortable about his whole situation. Seriously, he needs to watch how he words things she thought.

Momo set out in the opposite direction to meet up with her two most reliable friends. She hoped that tonight could help her return to a sense of normalcy. She found the pair of friends in the oversized kitchen of their dorm baking what seemed to be cookies and cupcakes. Uurakaka and Tsuyu were watching T.V. close by.

"Hey guys, I'm back safe and sound!" She smiled as everyone in the room hurried over to welcome her back. Uraraka and Tsuyu had been out of the loop of current events surrounding Momo so they were eager to talk.

"Momo-san I was so relieved to her you were ok!" The gravity girl said as she gave a tight hug.

"We heard everything from *ribbit* from Mina chan, including how your Prince Charming carried you all the way to the hospital…"

All eyes turned to Momo along with extremely smug expressions ready to tease the girl to no end.

Maybe it was because of the conservation that they had earlier, but she was able to maintain her composure. Todoroki's words had lifted the burden of worry from her shoulders and she could now talk about him honestly.

"Guys you're misunderstanding, Todoroki is just a close friend of mine." She smiled at the surprised faces around her that had expected a much funnier response.

"You're good friends with him, but we're closer right Momo Chan?" Mina pouted with jealousy as Momo laughed and nodded.

Jirou shot her an extra suspicious look but dropped it for the sake of her friends privacy. She instead decided to go for the easy diversion.

"You know, Speaking of good friends… Uraraka and Deku are practically joined at the hip wouldn't you guys say?"

The group chuckled as Uraraka lost it and began floating. It was just to easy to pick on the two as their attraction to each other was so obvious to everyone in the class. The creation girl was happy to see the reaction of a girl who clearly had strong feelings to someone. It showed her that connection between her and Todoroki was one born of necessity. Todoroki was experiencing a bizarre change in his quirk and she was person nearest to him at the time. She reminded herself of the importance of staying focused on studying and hero training.

She had great friends and didn't need romance in her life to make her happy. Momo smiled as she realized that Todoroki almost definitely felt the same about it. They were indeed alike in a lot of ways-

Just then Momo erupted into a series of loud coughs as if here body was trying to shake some sense into. Todoroki had said that phrase more than once and the fact that she couldn't stop picturing those moments now was not doing her any good.

"Momo! Are you not feeling well?" Mina looked at her concerned.

"No, no its just that I couldn't stop laughing picturing Deku's face whenever he's near our Uraraka."

Her excuse worked like a charm as the group shared another round of laughs and Uraraka's face turned a shade darker. Momo joined in on the baking, her quirk being extremely useful for replacing any required tools. About 30 minutes later they had several batches of sugary sweetness ready to be devoured.

"So why exactly did we cook these cookies again?" Asked Momo.

Mina grinned and yelled out "IIIIT'S GAME NIGHT! Kirishima told me the other day that some of the boys play games in the lobby on Wednesday nights and he invited us to join!"

"The cookies are kind of like our token of goodwill for inviting us" explained Jirou.

Momo was conflicted at first but she did want her life to feel more normal again and put her worries behind her. "That sounds great! I would love to join."

The five girls gathered their things and baked goods as they began the minute long stroll to the boys dorm. They entered through large sliding glass doors to the sound of loud laughter coming from the living area. Kirishima was sitting on the couch alongside the electric Kaminari and the tape hero Sero. They were all convulsing with laughter at the sight of the purple headed Mineta using his quirk to its "full potential" as he had several balls stuffed into his shirt and one under each heel. He strutted down a glass table towards a red faced Deku who was too embarrassed to make a sound. He shielded his eyes from the simply unholy sight in front of him as Mineta struck an erotic pose.

"So boys, I'm ready whenever you are" Mineta said as suggestively as possible.

All the guys in the room hit the deck, unable to breath from the contagious laughter. Even Deku couldn't help but nervously chuckle at Mineta's antics.

The girls all just stood there for a few seconds watching these future heroes act like foolish frat boys. As if on cue they all let out a sigh of disappointment and turned back towards the door. Kirishima noticed them before they could leave.

"Hey the girls are here! Wait this isn't what it looks like I swear it" he said in between laughs. "We're playing charades with pro heroes, come on it's fun!"

The girls stopped and considered this as Mina asked

"Pro heroes huh? So then who the hell was Mineta supposed to be?"

Mineta's eyes sparkled as he slid onto the floor with another preposterous pose.

"I'm so glad you asked my lady! I'm none other than the dominatrix seductress, Midnight-sama!"

The girls were about to leave again when Kaminari chimed

"Mineta will only get male heroes from now own if you girls join. Come on let's have some fun! You did bring cookies after all."

The girls had already walked over so they collectively decided that they wouldn't let a perverted grape soil their fun. Both boys and girls spread out across the living room and shared cookies as the game commenced. Everyone did a decent job impersonating heroes with the standouts being Mina as Aizawa sensei and Momo as Present Mic. Deku being the hero nerd he was guessed almost every hero name first including several with in 3 seconds. An hour had disappeared before they knew it along with the baked treats.

Kaminari was failing at mimicking the rookie hero Kamui woods as two boys entered the dorm sweating in their training clothes.

"Oi half and half bastard, I swear you better spar with me using your full power next time! You were holding back just like in the sports festival and it makes me sick! Don't disrespect me like that again."

Bakugo finished his rant at Todoroki as the pair walked towards the elevators. The latter was gripping his left arm and looked a bit dazed as they walked by.

Kirishima called out to the pair asking if they wanted to join.

"Yeah right you damn redhead, I already turned you down before. I'm going to bed."

Momo had been looking towards Todoroki during this exchange and something felt off. She saw as he entered the elevator that his skin was more flushed than usual, but he just been fighting right? So what was making her worried? He looked well enough for it not be a problem. Not to mention he was one of the most mature out of the class. He could take care of himself.

"Hey guys I'm gonna head back now too, the doctor said to get plenty of rest."

Momo stood up as Jirou replied.

"I'll walk you back Momo, I don't mind."

"No, No you guys stay and finish up the game, I don't want to ruin it for you."

Jirou gave a worried look but shrugged her shoulders with a simple "OK".

She waved to the group as she stepped out under the stars once again. She had a blast with her classmates and was really glad she went. Class tomorrow had field training with All Might and she was excited to prove herself again in front of her class. She had been brainstorming quicker ways to utilize her quirk and she was ready to put them to the test.

Momo grinned as she planned for tomorrow and came to the juncture of the cobblestone path that connected to the boys dorm. She silently contemplated how this was the spot she had found Todoroki and where their connection first started. She thought about the bizarre exchanges that followed, filled with pleasure and pain.

The emotion she felt standing over that spot was hard to describe. All she knew was that her body had cut directly off the path and towards the side of the boys dorm.


	5. The Ice Prince's Tea

Momo's body moved before her thoughts could catch up as she jogged on the damp U.A lawn. She recognized part of what she felt as worry for her friend. What if Todoroki hadn't just been tired from training? She wanted to trust her gut even if it was making her do something unreasonable.

Momo remembered the floor of Todoroki's room and counted the same number of windows as there were doors until she got to the right one. She created a long nylon rope along with a carbon fiber hook big enough to grab on to the edge of the five story building. She firmly tied the two together and prepared herself.

She realized this was stupid and very unlike herself but what kind of hero would she be if she didn't try to help others? She spun the hook until it reached its peak speed and skillfully tossed it towards the roof where it landed with a light clanging noise. She confirmed the hooks grip and quickly made gloves for herself. She began her climb and used the wall the help her as needed. Within a minute and a half she reached the fourth floor dorm room with a sense of satisfaction.

She was about to knock when Todoroki hurriedly opened the window with a bewildered expression.

"Yaoyorozu! Get inside quick you're 40 feet in the air!"

Momo had to laugh at the boy's eagerness. She grabbed his outreached hand by the forearm and pulled herself in the room. She noted that he was indeed hot to the touch.

"How'd you even know I was hanging out there?"

"Well I was having trouble sleeping so I was drinking tea, and looking at the sky…"

He seemed embarrassed by this fact but Momo thought it was pretty cute. Cute as in a totally non-romantic looking at a small puppy kind of cute she told herself. Her inner debate was interrupted by the non romantically cute boy in front of her.

"Yaoyorozu why were you doing something so dangerous? What if something happened to you?"

She was happy but a bit surprised with the amount of concern he showed for her.

"Todoroki, I just had a bad feeling. I thought you were displaying symptoms that I had last night and I felt I needed to make sure you were ok. You're my friend after all."

His eyes widened at her last statement. He rubbed the back of his head while looking away.

"That's pretty surprising to me, I thought for sure you'd want to kill me over this whole ordeal."

"There were times when I did think that I have to admit, but like you said, If something like this had to happen then I'm alright with it being with you… I-I m-m-mean… it's not like I had a choice in the first place."

Todoroki watched her confident speech descend into a pile of nervous whispers and let out what could have been the world's first ever recorded chuckle from the ice prince. It lasted only a second but Momo couldn't believe what she had heard. She felt like she had just unearthed the world's eighth wonder. Todoroki caught himself before anymore laughter escaped him. He paused for a moment as if finally realizing a girl had just rope climbed up four floors to check on him.

"Would you like some tea since you're here Yaoyorozu?"

"Well… I was just coming to check on you. I don't need anything."

"Yaoyorozu, you just scaled a 40 foot wall to check on me at least let me make it up to you somehow."

Momo was trying to remain composed in the situation but the embarrassment of what she had done was catching up to her. She could only nod her head as Todoroki grabbed a teapot.

"You can sit by the table, I should finish the tea in a minute."

Momo sat down by the traditional japanese style table, knees resting on a comfortable pillow. This was the second time she found herself in this room and thought made her embarrassment even worse as she remembered the events of her last visit. Thankfully, she was distracted by the unique style of tea making that Todoroki used. He had filled a kettle with water from a large plastic bottle and while he lifted the kettle with his right hand, he produced a flame underneath the kettle with his right.

She was glad to see him in control of his perk. It relieved the fear that had made her climb up to his room in the first place. Momo looked at the orange and yellow flame as it slowly heated pot. Her gaze wandered to the face of the reticent boy whom she had once harbored feelings of jealousy towards. She was able to see every feature of his face in the dimly lit room as light from the flame reflected off of it. The kettle began releasing steam as Momo's eyes refused to move. His left side faced her, showing the profile of the scar that marked him.

She knew that she was closer to Todoroki than most, but as she looked at him, she realized she wanted to know more. More than that, she wanted him to feel comfortable around her. The teapot, now whistling, had to have raised the temperature of the room. Momo tugged at the straps of her top and wondered how it had gotten so hot. A bead of sweat dripped from her face. She wasn't feeling pain or the overbearing feeling she felt last night. This was different, her heart was racing but not from fear. She felt anxious but also excited. She wanted to feel him again.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, everything is ok" she whispered to herself internally.

"Yaoyorozu… Yaoyorozu? Do I have something on my face?"

It took Momo a few seconds to process that during her internal monologue her gaze hadn't fallen from Todoroki's face for a second.

"I'm… I'm so sorry Todoroki-san. I realize it's impolite to stare."

She angled her head down as she spoke mostly to cover the shame on her face.

The half and half hero silently grabbed two green japanese tea cups from his pantry and brought them over to the table. As he poured into Momo's cup he spoke.

"Todoroki" he said matter of factly.

"Pardon?"

"Im saying you can drop the honorifics Yaoyorozu. With everything I've put you through you can call worse names if it pleases you."

Momo had been practically parylyzed with the combined embarrassment that had been this night but she couldn't help but chuckle at the ice prince's show of compassion towards her. She smiled as the calming smell of warm tea wafted around her.

"If I just called you Todoroki I'm pretty sure the girls would think we were getting married. But if it's just the two of us… I guess I don't mind."

Momo immediately took a sip of her tea as she wondered how she could even say such embarrassing things around Todoroki. The boy's tea could be one reason she realized as the flavorful concoction seemed to soothe her to the bone. He sat across the table from her and stared at his drink.

"Hey Yaoyorozu, since you're here I suppose I owe you answers to any questions you might have. I'll answer everything I can."

Momo contemplated this as she drank more tea and set down her cup.

"Alright, you did say **any **questions so I'll take your word for it."

Momo thought for awhile and then began with some simple questions. The pair talked for a good twenty minutes about school, teachers, classmates and hero work in general. They found out that they shared a surprising amount of the same viewpoints. They saw why as they opened up more about their upbringing. They were each raised in prominent families with their futures mapped out for them. Each had been groomed and prepped for life as a hero and their recommendations to U.A. proved it.

She sensed a bit of tension as Todoroki told her about his childhood so she didn't push the subject. She learned of his preference for cats, traditional Japanese food and of course, peace and quiet. He listened as she told some stories from the girls dorm that usually ended with a big pillow fight across their entire dorm floor. Apparently the boys were just as rambunctious but Todoroki never took part since he always heads to sleep first. After a while they each paused for a moment to finish their tea and gaze out the window next to them. It was a calm moment, both were at peace, or so it seemed.

"Todoroki… I just have one more question."

She immediately stood up and grabbed the boy's forearm before he even had a chance to react.

"Why have you been lying to me about your condition this **whole **time?"

Momo tightened her grip in anger even as the heat from Todoroki's arm threatened to burn her skin.


	6. Code Red

{A/N Thank you to everyone who has read this far, I hope you're enjoying the story! Please leave a review or PM me if you have anything to you want to comment on. I really really love hearing feedback from you guys. Enjoy!}

It was around 10 pm on the U.A. campus. The moon cast a bright glow onto the buildings below and through a certain dormitory window; a scene of contention. Momo's eyes filled with tears of anger, shooting daggers in her friends direction. Todoroki grimaced and dropped his gaze. He quickly freed his arm from her grasp, proving that he had indeed been hiding his increasing temperature and pain the entire time.

"You don't need to worry about me Yaoyorozu, this is my problem and I promised you it wouldn't affect you anymore. If I'm the person in pain than I can handle it myself."

She just looked at him. She had spent the last half hour getting to know him and this was how he actually felt? He got her involved in this ordeal and now she was supposed to just not worry about it? Her blood boiled as she let loose.

"You seriously think I'm the kind of person who would just let a friend go through that kind of pain and do nothing? Last night I felt like was dying from the pressure of it. It's true that you got me involved in this problem and if I was a terrible person I would definitely leave you to carry the pain all by yourself."

She rounded the table and grabbed Todoroki by the collar of his t-shirt

"**But I'm not a bad person, I'm a hero!" **

Todoroki could only stare wide eyed from below as Momo held him there. His expression told Momo that he couldn't believe she had just lost her cool like that but she was beyond caring.

"Listen Todoroki, neither of us know what's happening to us. You owe it to me to find some answers. We're going to the hospital right now and have your condition monitored maybe the-"

*****_Knock knock_

The pair instantly caught their breath as panic set in. How in the world would they explain this situation without drawing suspicions towards them. They could both her Deku's voice asking if Todoroki was alright and that he had heard screaming. Before she had time to think of a plan Todoroki had opened his window, grabbed Momo around the waist and leapt from the 40 foot high dorm room.

She was too surprised to make a sound as a wave of frosty air went through her. The ice prince had created a slide of ice and was descending at an ever increasing pace. Momo was slung over his shoulder and as they leveled out with the ground she finally gained enough breath to speak.

"Are you insane Todoroki!? Aren't you feeling the effects of your quirk? And put me down now!"

He slowed his ice slide to a halt as they broke line of sight with the boy's dorm. They had escaped a rather dicey situation but matters were far from resolved. Todoroki carefully placed Momo down, his breathing slightly labored. He looked her directly in the eyes as he spoke.

"I am feeling the effects Yaoyorozu, you were right and I'm sorry for lying. I'm ready to go to the hospital and try to fix this."

His sudden change of heart worried her. Was he harboring some sort of secret? She couldn't help her heart from wavering on whether or not the feeling of trust she had in Todoroki due to their bizarre connection was unfounded. Her doubts couldn't form into words before the boy in question.

"My main reason for hiding my own pain was that I **did **know the kind of person you are. I knew that you would do anything to help me even though it was all my fault. You would probably even… kiss me… without really wanting to. You've already experienced what this pressure does to you. I just didn't want to burden you any further."

Momo came to a realization about the boy in front of her after hearing all this. This person would never directly lie to anyone, especially if it meant hurting them in any way. He had hid his pain in an attempt to assuage Momo's own worries. She surprised him by climbing up to his room and he simply acted in a way he thought was most considerate towards her. It was clear how much Todoroki had thought about the situation. He was a much more emotionally conscious than his cold persona let on. Even though he tried to deceive her at first, he accepted her reasoning of the situation later on. It showed that he cared about her feelings. Her heart felt the same then as it had watching Todoroki warm tea in the palm of his hand.

"We should hurry to the hospital Todoroki… We're out past curfew after all."

Momo walked ahead quickly with a hand to her chest. She smiled with the reassurance that she could trust Todoroki. Her heart fluttered with a pleasure unknown to her. They walked for about 5 minutes in silence as they neared their destination. Momo regained her composure enough to speak again.

"We're almost there, are you holding up ok?"

"...Since I'm being honest now, The pressure I'm feeling is pretty intense."

Momo looked at his neutral expression and wondered how he was coping with the pain. If it was even half of what she had experienced last night then he should at least be grimacing. They entered the on campus medical center and were immediately set up in a large single patient room with what seemed like every medical device in the world. (the son of Endeavor was kind of a VIP).

Momo informed the doctors of the situation as Todoroki finally started displaying the symptoms. His face was beady with sweat and his breathing grew burdened. The monitors attached to him were recording unbelievably high body temperature and heart rate as the room filled with mechanical noise. Momo stood in the corner and watched as the doctors fumbled with treatment plans that seemed to do nothing. Recovery girl came rushing in as she took in the scene in front of her.

"Everybody clear out of my way!"

The doctors backed away allowing the small elderly woman to step up over Todoroki and plant a smooch on his forehead. The Recovery heroes quirk was famous throughout the world for its healing power. Even if the patient was severely infected by an incurable disease, her quirk could alleviate their pain and establish homeostasis within them for at least an hour. So when she finished her treatment and nothing changed, the doctors around her gasped. The machines made even more noise as Todoroki's vitals skyrocketed to inhospitable levels. Recovery girl froze for a second before snapping into action.

"Everyone we have a code red patient! Prepare everything we need and call the National hospital in Tokyo! Tell them we're sending an emergency E-vac helicopter with a VIP patient to them stat!"

The room dispersed as everyone proceeded with the code red protocol. This particular code was saved for the most emergent cases where the patient's life was at risk and the hour that could be bought with Recovery's quirk wasn't enough time to treat them. The fact that they didn't even have that hour made things even more grim. Never before had the elderly doctor seen a case like these and she knew that the best hospital in Japan was the only place that might be able to cure something like this.

Momo hadn't moved from the corner of the room she was standing in. She was terrified and confused by everything around her. The doctors panicked expressions were only making her fear grow stronger. She looked at Todoroki's pain stricken face which had been so calm less than an hour ago. He had just been drinking tea and talking with her. Now he was fighting for his life in a hospital room for no clear reason.

Her eyes welled with tears as she thought of everything they had spoken about that night. The distance between them was smaller than ever. Now, watching the boy fight for survival, she felt him getting further and further away. The feeling in her chest tore at her insides. The thought of Todoroki moving any further away than they had been that night in his room hurt her to the very core. She was not about to let that happen.

The doctors were beginning to strap him to the bed for transport When Momo sprung forward.

"NO! TODOROKI!"

In that moment, nothing else mattered. She moved forward with a hero's speed and urgency, shoving past the doctors who tried to stop her. She didn't feel anything else in her heart except the desperate need to save Todoroki from the pain she knew he was in. Momo leapt forward onto the bed, her body sprawled across him. Her face, damp with tears, lowered to meet his.

"Young lady what do you think you're do-"

Recovery girl shut her mouth as the cacophony of machine readings came racing to a halt. Within seconds the critical condition of the patient had completely reversed and the readings showed all the signs of a healthy teenager. The only sound in the room came from the now slow mechanical rhythm of Todoroki's heart and the loud cries of a distraught Yaoyorozu. Her face was buried in his chest as she released every pent up emotion she had been feeling for the past two days. She let her heart breath as she cried out without a thought to anyone else in the room.

The doctors all turned to The healing hero for some kind of explanation but she had nothing of the sort.

"All personnel leave the room and cancel the code red. I'll take care of things from here."

The wise old woman confirmed that her patient was stable and realized the moment they were witnessing deserved some privacy. Everyone left the room as she finished checking on the nearby machines. She sat down in a visitors chair and gave them the pair a moment before questioning them. A medical miracle had just taken place right before her eyes but she found herself smiling at the display of young love instead.

"Ah, the beauty of youth" she thought to herself.

Todoroki opened his eyes and heard the loud cries of relief coming the girl on top of him. He looked down to the top of her head as tears soaked through his shirt. He didn't know of a way to express the extent of his appreciation in words so he reached his hand over her head and rubbed it gently.

After another thirty seconds of tears Momo finally registered his hand on her head. She rose up and wiped her face, still filled with emotion. Her hands smoothed away the tears as she looked at Todoroki. He was smiling softly, his eyes conveying the appreciation she had already felt through their kiss.

"So have you two made up yet?"

The Recovery girl made her presence known as she smiled brightly at the pair from a few feet away. Awakening fully to the situation, Momo looked for her for a second and then down at herself straddling the midsection of the boy under her. She practically teleported to a standing position a few feet from the bed. She cleared her throat trying to think of a way to reclaim even a shred of dignity after what just happened. Recovery girl felt the gist of the situation as she spoke.

"Don't worry yourself young lady, whatever the pair of you are going through is something that even I have never seen before. It's ok to be flustered. To be honest I thought that you were my long lost granddaughter at first."

She let out a hearty laugh before continuing.

"But I know that's not the case Miss Yaoyorozu, seeing as you already have a quirk. Being able to heal someone with a kiss is something I'm quite familiar with, but this is an anomaly. I'd like to hear the story behind this condition from the both of you. When did this all begin?"


	7. That Feeling In Her Chest

Yaoyorozu Momo hadn't stayed up past midnight in her entire life. It was currently 2 am as she sped through the eerily quiet U.A. campus. She was riding in the back of an ambulance modified for on campus use. The ride back to her dorm only took a minute. The self driven car came to a stop in front of her dorm as the back doors opened for her. She was thankful for the ride back since the exhaustion of the day had fully set in.

It would have been easier to stay in the hospital and recover like Recovery girl suggested but she needed some respite from her bizarre situation. She was technically in perfect health at the time so the elderly hero couldn't stop her from leaving. She even gave a blood sample for testing to see if it had anything to do with her connection to Todoroki. The sliding glass doors of the dorm opened to reveal a dark, empty living area. It was strange seeing the space like this but unfortunately she was getting used to strange things. The elevator opened and Momo leaned on the metallic walls of the interior for support.

As she made her way up, her thoughts gravitated towards the discussion she and Todoroki had with U.A.'s Head doctor. After they had explained their story over the past few days, Recovery girl came to a few important conclusions about the "connection" that they shared.

1\. The symptoms appeared around 24 hours after Todoroki's sudden overuse of his fire ability after suppressing it for several years.

2\. The connection between Todoroki and Yaoyorozu was established with a direct kiss. Even though Momo had touched the boy earlier that night, she only felt the heat from his body and no connection was formed until their kiss .

3\. Yaoyorozu experienced the same symptoms in the exact same time frame: 24 hours after the kiss formed their connection. A second kiss alleviated the identical symptoms. Then, Recovery girl was able to witness their third connection almost exactly 24 hours later where Todoroki was the one exhibiting symptoms.

4\. In addition to the release of heat and pressure from the body, the other effects of the connection appeared to be the transference of subconscious emotional, and physical experiences between the pair. They each spoke of seeing themselves from the others perspective as well as experiencing their emotions at the same time. All of this happens in the moment the kiss occurs.

5\. It isn't unusual for a certain body part to activate a quirk, her healing kiss was a prime example. But the sudden change in Todoroki suggested a mutation of his original quirk. Such a thing had never been documented but the world around them was constantly evolving with appearance of new and exotic quirks. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility but there was no way to know for sure.

Lastly, the sudden use of the fire portion of the half and half quirk seemed to start this chain of events. She told Todoroki to speak with the man from whom he had inherited the power of flames from, his father Endeavor. He might know something about his own quirk that could help them figure out Todoroki's sudden change. Todoroki explained to the hero doctor that his father had left on a two week long government related mission immediately after the sports festival and wouldn't be in contact for another ten days. He begrudgingly promised to get all the information possible from his father at that time.

After her rundown assessment of the situation, she suggested that the two of them suppress as much information as possible about their connection. Others finding out would only complicate the matter and if the press got a hold of the story it would be a field day for journalism and nightmare for U.A. She then assured the two of them that they would be alright. While a lot of what they were going through was a medical anomaly, there was a clear short term solution that would buy enough time for research to be completed. Momo vividly remembered Recovery's girls teasing words.

"As long as you two… "re-establish" your connection every 24 hours, You can continue your day to day lives as you normally would. I might of had a problem recommending such an intimate form of treatment… but seeing how **close** you two were today I doubt it will cause any problems."

Momo felt a sharp pain in her forehead as she recalled the old and wise medical hero blush and bat her eyelids at them like a girl in junior high. Even her doctor was hell bent on teasing her about her relationship with the ice prince. She sighed and looked down at the thin black band on her wrist. Both Her and Todoroki had each been given a matching band that would record their vitals at all times. This way they could focus on their studies and hero training while in close reach of medical aid at all times.

All of this was so much handle. She felt the weight of the situation after seeing all those doctors clueless as to how to treat Todoroki. Her exhaustion was an equal burden as she stepped from the elevator and towards her room. The thought of her bed was the only thing keeping her from passing out right there in the hallway.

She approached her door but saw something dark lay at the foot of it. Laying on her side wrapped in a fuzzy black blanket was a peacefully sleeping Jiro. Momo almost cried at the sight of her friends adorable sleeping face. She must have figured out that Momo hadn't returned to the dorm that night and went so far as to camp outside her room to know that she got back safe. She had no idea what she had done to deserve such a good friend. With all the unexplained events in the past few days, Jiro had been the rock she needed to keep herself sane.

Momo slowly opened her door and carefully picked up the sleeping bundle of cuteness that was Jiro. She placed her friend in the oversized bed that took up over half of her room. Jiro murmured and opened her eyes still half asleep.

"Momo? You're ok?"

"Yes Jiro, thanks for waiting for me" she replied with a smile and a hug.

Her friend fell back to sleep and Momo climbed into the other side of her bed. The moment her body relaxed onto the pillow, sleep overtook her.

She was walking on a path between snow-covered trees. Everything around her was gleaming white as she felt the chill air blow around her. The path in front of her seemed to stretch forever into the gray horizon. She felt the layer of snow beneath her feet as she wandered further on the path. The cold chill and the white color of snow on trees was all there was.

Then a movement in the forest caught her attention. Momo saw the profile of a woman between the trees. Her waist long hair was an even brighter white than the snow surrounding her. Her skin made her white dress look gray in comparison, almost ethereal in appearance. The scene before Momo's eyes was like a renaissance portrait brought to life.

The mysterious woman ever so slowly turned towards the path Momo was on. Her head angled up as strands of her angelic hair fell to frame her face. Momo was spellbound as the woman came into full view. The face of a porcelain doll was overshadowed by her eyes. The only thing in the entire landscape with a color other than brown or white came from them. Flame incarnate resided in the iris of her eyes. The color moved as flames would, rising in her eyes as they met Momo's gaze.

"Momo, Momo.."

The woman hadn't moved but she still heard her name.

"Momo! Get up pretty lady we have class!"

Yaoyorozu was staring up at Jiro's urgent expression as she remembered where she was again. Momo had never felt a dream so real before. Thankfully she had a human alarm clock to shake her from deep sleep. She made a mental note to talk to Todoroki about it later since it might be a new symptom. She rose up from her bed and groaned about the newfound source of confusion and mystery.

"Hey I know class can be rough but you're a genius. I need you to show up for class and absorb knowledge like the genius sponge you are. Our study group will fall to pieces without you and Mina would definitely flunk out."

Jiro smiled at Momo as if she already knew of the confusion and worry that was in her mind. She said exactly what Momo needed to her to forget the worry in her mind. The creation girl leapt up and pulled Jiro close with a tight squeeze. Jiro blushed and giggled as she found her face buried in her friends ample cleavage.

"Thank you Jiro, for everything you've done for me lately. When we have time to talk, I'll tell you everything that's been going with me."

Jiro peeked up at her from her bosom.

"I really want to hear your side of things Momo, but apparently some gossip has already gotten around about your little adventure last night. Deku texted Uraraka saying that he thought he had heard you arguing loudly in Todoroka's room… and then Toru confirmed that you never came back to the dorm since she was in the lobby watching a movie while we were gone. So I'll just let you imagine what the girls are saying."

Momo let out another deep sigh, it really did sound suggestive from anyone else's point of view. Jiro gave her a reproachful look but then rubbed the top of her head.

"I'm sure when I hear what you have to say I'll understand. Don't worry about it for now, I'll get the other girls off your back… I'll try at least."

Momo nodded in appreciation and hurried to get ready in time for class. Her classmates' teasing was the least of her concerns. Her impulsivity had ended up saving Todoroki in the end so she didn't regret it all. Besides, how bad could the girls' teasing be? They should at least give her the chance to explain herself before jumping to conclusions.

The two girls finished getting into their uniforms and they headed towards Jiro's room to grab her school bag (Momo had a fresh set of Jiro's uniform clothes from a Friday movie watching night in Momo's room when Mina had slimed all over Jiro after the main heroine's cat got ran over… its a long story). Ready for class the pair headed down the elevator and into the lobby. They found every girl in their class waiting for them and were met with a collective wave of squealing as they saw Momo. Mina was the first to run towards her.

"MOMO CHAAAN! You better love him like no other! I will not let some boy use my precious Momo for her perfect body! And!-"

Jiro's roundhouse finishing kick to the face sent the pink alien flying out of the dorm's glass doors. Jiro stood in front of Momo like a bodyguard.

"Yaoyorozu Momo is our class vice president. Spreading false rumors about her makes us all look bad. Now give her some privacy everyone, or my foot's gonna find someone else's face…"

Jiro was not the type to kid around so the girls began to disperse but Momo stopped them.

"Everyone please listen to me, Last night I was out past curfew and made all you worry. I'm truly sorry for that. What I can tell you about yesterday evening is that I noticed Todorki's off behavior and went to check on him since we're good friends. I convinced him to go to the hospital to seek treatment where he is currently and feeling much better. He should return to class today around lunch time. As vice president of our class I assure that my feelings for Todoroki will not affect my behav- I-I mean my connection with Todor-...um..."

Everyone in the room was in disbelief as Momo's calm speech collapsed into stuttering. Jiro prepared to hold back the girls from saying anything else that would embarrass her now vulnerable friend. She was looking at the group of girls as their faces lit up for a moment and then suddenly paused. Their excited expressions turned into those of worry and remorse. Jiro didn't understand their reactions until she turned back around to face her good friend; her heart dropped in her chest. Momo was looking down at the ground with a loss for words as tears streamed down her face.

"I… I need to go to class… I need…"

The tears didn't stop and Momo suddenly bolted towards the back exit of the dorm. She disappeared from sight, leaving the lobby painfully silent. Her classmates stayed glued to the spot. Jirou turned towards the group with her fists clenched.

"Oi… No one says a word of this to anyone, and tonight we will make it up to her and then some. Understood?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. They didn't need Jiro's anger to convince them that they had clearly overstepped. The girls agreed to act normally in class and respect Momo's privacy.

Momo ended up in the school restroom to wash her face and calm down. she was embarrassed that she had run away but she was even more embarrassed by the truths that had almost escaped her lips. She had almost revealed her mysterious connection to Todoroki and almost admitted to herself that she had feelings for the cold and mysterious ice prince. She smiled slightly at her reflection in the mirror at the thought of his infamous nickname.

The boy who was so idolized by his classmates was indeed stoic and reticent, but that was just the surface. She had felt first hand how deep Todoroki's emotions actually were. From the first time they kissed, his icy exterior melted away whenever he was with her. Anyone else couldn't have seen him any differently, but she could.

She saw the pain he had gone through because of their connection as well the guilt of letting her become involved. She saw that he was worried about her constantly over the last couple of days. She saw his smiling face after they kissed, and his appreciation of Momo for being there for him. She saw the consideration he tried to give her the night they talked in his room. She saw his kind, understanding expression after she had cried her heart out on his chest. She saw the ice prince laugh… She saw so many things in him.

She didn't need their connection to tell her the kind of person he was. She laughed as she realized that this was the same restroom where she had been with hatred towards the boy just the other day. Amazing how things can change so quickly.

Momo felt the same warmth in her heart that had been unknown to her before. Rather than making her feel confused, it made her feel safe. She finally knew what this feeling meant. She had been scared to admit it but knowing something for sure after having so many mysteries surrounding her and Todoroki felt good. While the connection was an anomaly, her feelings of affection for Todoroki were crystal clear.

She headed for class with a sense of clarity. She knew she had feelings for Todoroki but that wouldn't affect her. She was in training to become the best hero possible and that was her focus. It wasn't like she **loved** the boy, it was… just a crush. She admired him for his qualities and she wanted to help him as much as she could; simple as that. She nodded to herself with a smile and hustled to Class 1-A.


	8. White Tulips and Sci-Fi

Class went surprisingly well for Momo that day. Her trip to the bathroom had repurposed her towards her focus as a U.A. Student. Even when Todoroki came back to class just before lunch, she simply nodded to him with a small grin as he took his seat next to her. He nodded at her, maintaining his neutral face and joined in on the lecture. During lunch Jiro assured her that **no one** would be snooping anymore into her business. Momo thanked her and assured her that she had resolved the reason for her breakdown already. Jiro smiled at her friend who was clearly feeling better.

Time passed like normal until 4:50 pm. Momo and Todoroki had finished after school training by then and we're going to meet up at a designated location. Recovery girl had told them to set up a time and place that they could meet privately every 24 hours. They left the on campus hero training facility in separate directions. Momo grabbed her phone from bag to send Jiro a quick text. She told her that tonight she would reveal everything about the situation to her…The text was written out but she decided to wait until she asked Todoroki about it.

She wanted to communicate clearly with him from now own to avoid any more traumatic experiences. The cobblestone path at her feet led her around the heart of campus as she headed to the rendezvous. The location had been suggested by Recovery girl and the pair had decided that it would work. Momo stepped off the Main U.A. walkway and headed towards the high-tech greenhouse where they would meet. Situated in a secluded corner of campus and within 200 meters of the hospital, it was the perfect discreet place for their needs. Recovery girl also promised that no one would enter the facility for an hour so they had ample time to meet.

The domed structure stretched about 100 feet across the U.A. grounds. The clear glass around it was separated into triangle panels that reflected a green aura from the vegetation within. Leave it to U.A. to have the best of every facility possible . Momo entered the greenhouse and saw an incredible variety of plant life that overwhelmed the senses. the large rounded room was divided into two sides of semi circle stations filled with plants with a path down the center. One could walk through the gaps between the stations to observe every plant there. She walked down the middle path, a little distracted by the earthy rich smell and beautiful colors surrounding her.

In the center of greenhouse stood a moderately tall tree with several types of moss that hung over wooden benches below. Momo headed to the center, expecting to see the always punctual Todoroki there before her. She rounded the tree with no pretty boy in sight. He would be here soon no doubt, she knew how seriously he took this ordeal. The creation girl took a moment to gaze at the colors of life that surrounded her.

Her quirk was so focused on creating non-living objects that she had an appreciation for the things that could only be created naturally. She walked towards the middle of the first row in front of her and knelt to waft the smell of a flowery plant. As she stood back up, she saw a distinct red color several rows ahead of her that stood out from the mass of green. From between the numerous plants the face of Todoroki Shouto came into view. He was breathing in the smell of a beautiful white flower. His red hair draped over his defining scar and contrasted against the white of the flower. As he opened his eyes and looked down at the blossom, a stunningly warm and satisfied smile graced his lips.

"My one true wish in life is to be reborn as a white tulip."

Momo took in the sight in front of her **calmly **and **rationally**. She recognized the warm feeling in her chest and was comfortable with it. The feelings she had were real and she accepted them as such. She was perfectly capable of being a composed hero trainee.

Todoroki suddenly turned his gaze towards her, his neutral expression returning in a flash. He stood straight and cleared his throat as if he had been caught with a hand in the cookie jar and was trying to play it off.

"I apologize Yaoyorozu, I arrived ten minutes early and lost track of time. I'll be right there."

He headed down the row of plants to meet up with her. Meanwhile Momo took a seat on the bench behind her and gathered her thoughts. She had a lot to tell Todoroki. Her dream last night was so striking that she felt it had to mean something. Not to mention the fact that she wanted to tell Jiro about this whole situation since she knew she could trust her. She loved Mina dearly but secret keeping was not high on her skills list. She wondered how he would react to all of thi-

"Yaoyorozu, I'd like to apologize again. From now on I'll always be at this bench when we meet up. Before we do anything, I want you to know that I will listen to any concerns or questions you have about anything. I got you involved and I plan to take responsibility. That being said, is there anything you want to tell me?"

"..."

"Yaoyorozu? Are you experiencing symptoms already?"

"..."

Momo's mind had a lot to say but her voice wouldn't come out due to the pounding heart in her throat. What happened to her composure? She was so sure of herself this morning, and now this happens? Momo had already kissed this boy on multiple occasions but talking to him now was this hard?

"Yaoyorozu… do I need to…"

Todoroki came towards her face, his eyes on her lips. Momo shot straight up off the bench.

"I HAD A DREAM!"

She shouted to force her thoughts out regardless of how ridiculous she sounded. Momo looked to see his response. He looked at her with an air of confusion and then simply stated,

"I see."

They shared a questioning look as they each assessed the situation. She had just shouted like a raging Bakugo and that was all he had to say? Momo put a hand to her mouth as she burst out in a fit of laughter. She couldn't believe the level of stoicness that Todoroki possessed. Even after making a fool of herself, he wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"Um, are you feeling ok?"

She finally controlled her laughter and turned to him in response.

"Actually, I'm feeling much better."

She sat down and told him everything that had been on her mind. She went through every detail and got all of it off her chest. Todoroki listened patiently as she finished off her recollection of the dream.

"For you to remember the dream in that much detail could definitely mean something. I'll keep that in mind from now own. As for telling Jiro I think it's a good idea. You clearly trust her a great deal."

"I do trust her, and she deserves to know."

The pair sat for a moment in silence. Todoroki pulled out his phone to check the time.

"Hey, it's 5:20 already so we should deal with our connection… Yaoyorozu, is there anything I could do to make you more comfortable with this?"

She thought for a moment and then turned to catch his eye.

"You said before that you wanted to take responsibility for involving me in all of this."

He nodded his head.

"Then take responsibility. I'll close my eyes, and you kiss me."

Before he had a chance to respond she closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly upwards. Her face displayed a calm sense of confidence while her inner self was screaming with disbelief at her actions. Why was she so bold all of a sudden? Had she suddenly become a heartless vixen who tempted innocent boys like Todoroki? She decided to laugh this off an act to tease her classmate.

Momo opened her eyes and raised her hands to wave off her bold act. She was stopped by a hand on her cheek. Her raised hands fell on Todoroki's arms as he suddenly kissed her. Their previous exchanges had been intense beyond belief, causing both of them to experience a rush of emotions so quickly that it was impossible to process them all. But as they connected in a controlled state of mind, Momo felt everything slowly and completely. Her body was submerged in a slowly drifting river, the cool water ridding her of the heat that she had not yet felt building around her.

While this slow cooling sensation coursed through her, the scenes from Todoroki's view played in her mind. The hospital ceiling, the classroom, a quick look over at Momo, her eating lunch with Jiro. The images continued as her mind tried to process what she was seeing. The back of her head leaving class and heading towards the training facility. She even saw a quick glimpse of herself doing personal quirk training by herself. Along with these images came feelings of concern, admiration, and…

Her lips parted from Todoroki's lips and he quickly stood up. a mechanical tune played quickly from their matching bands to show that the connection had been registered. He faced away from her.

"I should head back first to avoid suspicion… wait here for awhile longer."

He tried to leave but she instantly grabbed onto his wrist, her face flushed from what she had just experienced. She knew two things: that she had seen Todoroki watching over her throughout the day and that he had definitely seen her staring at him as he smiled in the greenhouse. What was unclear was that last feeling she received from him.

He was looking away from her until he finally turned back slowly. From the profile of his face she saw an extremely flustered Todoroki who was unable to meet her gaze. Her eyes widened and looked away, unable to keep watching without risking another impulsive display of boldness. She had to diffuse the situation somehow, the way Todoroki had done so naturally before.

"C-Can I see your phone Todoroki? We need to able to contact each other in case you get lost in the plants again."

She laughed half-heartedly trying to lighten the mood. He paused for a moment and reached into his pocket and gave his phone to her. She went to create a contact for herself when…

"Todoroki… why am I not surprised your only contacts are Brother, Sister, and Endeavor."

She smirked as she put her name and number in the phone and handed it back. By now Todoroki was back to his usual self. He paused for a moment as he took his leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Yaoyorozu."

"Wait! Check your phone first."

He looked at the phone he so rarely used. In his contacts was a name that boldly stood out followed by numerous red flower emojis. Todoroki couldn't help but scoff at the contact name.

"You know, these flowers should of been white. White tulips are my favorite."

It was then that he smiled the same way he had earlier. The stunningly warm expression that was to bright for mortal eyes was now directed at her. Momo lost herself in the boy's soothing smile. She felt something knew then. It was like the warmth in her chest evolved from a feeling into a tangible knot in her heart that caused a throbbing pain every time it beat.

"You saved your number with only your first name... would you like me to be more informal when it's just the two of us?"

Momo vaguely registered her body nodding for her as her mind was lost in thoughts of the boy before her.

"Thank you for sharing everything you had to say today, I really appreciate your honesty. Have a nice night, Momo."

Todoroki turned with a nod and left the greenhouse with Momo's eyes glued to the back of his head. She could not believe she had tried to act bold before when all this boy had to do to drive her heart into a frenzy was say her first name. She sat in place on the wooden bench for a few minutes, reeling in her emotions. The smell of plant life and raw earth around her helped slow the racing of her heart. As she calmed down she remembered the unfinished text on her phone.

Momo grinned as she finally sent the message to Jiro. She looked forward to finally getting her bizarre story off her chest. Momo stood up and stretched her arms in the air as she prepared herself for the walk back to her dorm. As she walked through U.A.'s campus she imagined Jiro's face after she heard some of the things she went through. Without a doubt it would be interesting to watch the reactions of her protective friend.

She reached her dorm and entered the lobby to a surprising sight. All of the girls from class 1-A were gathered on the couches by the huge T.V. in the lobby. They had popcorn and assorted snacks on the large living room table. Jiro approached Momo as they girls turned to look.

"Momo, The girls and I wanted to make amends for this morning. So I decided to arrange a special movie watching party with everyone from class for the movie you've been so eager to see…"

Mina jumped out from behind the kitchen counter as she shouted,

"QUIRKS IIIIN SPAAACCCE 3! The galactic battle for quirk supremacy!"

The pair both smiled as Momo's eyes sparkled with joy. Her hidden obsession of Sci-Fi was a close friend only kind of secret. Years of diligent studying as the lady of the Yaoyorozu household closed of from most of society made her develop a vivid imagination to keep herself sane. The stories she always thought of were from the realm of Sci Fi and after discovering her first galactic battle themed movie in middle school, she was hooked. Normally she would be embarrassed but all the girls around her seemed eager to start the movie. She addressed her classmates as she dramatically called out:

"Let's forget our prior qualms ladies, and join together for the glory of the Republic!"

All the girls of class 1-A laughed and cheered at the sight of Momo geeking out. They all felt bad about pushing their vice president too far and helping her indulge in her guilty pleasure was the least they could do. They spent the next 2 hours sharing laughs as the adorable Momo in geek form fangirled over the entire movie. The highlight was definitely when Mina and Momo both started bawling while hugging each other after the main characte'rs alien companion (that looked similar to a cat on earth) was crushed by an enormous Mecha fighter on the dark planet, Ractus.

The companion lived by burrowing underground at the last second and his heroic return to the screen brought another wave of tears from the two surprisingly similar friends. The movie finished with a satisfying victory for the hero of the story. The girls all came up to Momo afterwards and gave her a suffocating group hug. She laughed as she felt the love of her classmates and friends. She was truly happy after the perfectly planned movie night that Jiro had set up for her.

"Thank you so much for this everyone, I just want to say that I'm doing much better than I was this morning and you all helped me feel even happier. And of course… Glory to the Republic!"

All of the girls did the two handed salute they had learned from the movie and broke into a round of laughter. All the tense emotions between the girls and Momo was now water under the bridge. Everyone soon went their separate ways as night set in. Momo retired to her room and prepared two cups of water for Jiro's scheduled late night visit. The earjack hero came in soon after and took a seat on Momo's enormous bed.

"So, I suppose I'm in for a nice reward after getting all the girls into your favorite movie huh?"

"I don't even want to imagine how you forced them to watch it all." Momo said with a laugh.

"Nah, they really did feel guilty about this morning. I'm glad you're feeling better."

The two shared a comforting gaze as Jiro layed on her stomach and propped her head up, hands under her chin. She gave Momo the inquisitive look she had been holding back for awhile now.

"So let me hear everything Momo, I want to know if there's anything I can do."

Yaoyorozu spent the better part of an hour going through all the events of the past few days for her trusted friend. She explained the connection, the need for re-connections and of course the fact that this needed to be kept a secret. Her reactions were everything she had hoped for and more. Jiro's face was priceless as she described the moments when they had kissed and the emotions and visions that came along with it. Her shocked and flustered expression finally moved as she was finally ready to speak on the matter.

"So after **he** got you directly involved in his problem, you now have to willingly **kiss him every 24 hours**… or you will both suffer from withdrawal symptoms and probably **die. **And you're **OK **with this?

"I know it sounds absurd but I'm dealing with this situation in the best way possible."

"... You really are the most kind and understanding person on earth. Don't worry, I'm here to help where kindness can't. Sit tight Momo I'm gonna go strangle that half and half idiot in his sleep and all your problems will be solved."

"Honestly, I wouldn't put it past you so how about you sleep over tonight so I know you don't commit murder."

Jiro sighed in defeat and found a comfortable spot on the plush mattress beneath her. She turned her head on her pillow to look at Momo.

"Hey… are you really ok with things as they are?"

Momo was gazing up at the canopy of her bed thinking over the question.

"Actually no, I'm not. But not for the reasons you think."

"What do you mean by that?"

Momo's turned to look at Jiro as she spoke with conviction.

"Jiro… I am positive that I have feelings of affection for Todoroki and I'm unsure of what to do about it."

"..."

The beast emerged underneath Momo's white linen sheets. Jiro's dark aura overtook the room as she stood up on the bed looking down with intent to kill. All small living creatures within a 10 meter radius of her had their life force drained by her new power: Demonic Overprotection.

"**What did he do to you Momo, Tell me now and I'll end this quickly…"**

Jiro had always seen the image of her beautiful friend in her head as the epitome of regality. Momo was almost perfect in every facet of life- looks, grades, behavior, hero work, leadership, morality- everything. She was born a cut above the rest; the blood of hero royalty in her veins. There was no way that some boy could come into the picture and try to ruin all that. She was hell bent on stopping anyone from hurting her, especially him. The anger in her was about burst when Momo stood up on the bed.

She smiled warmly at "dark lord" Jiro and brought her into her arms. Whether it was a side effect of her connection or proof of their close friendship, Momo understood exactly what her friend was thinking. She also knew exactly what she needed to convey in order to get the usual Jiro back. Although dark lord Jiro would be a great substitute for insect repellent she noted with a smirk.

"Jiro, you are my best friend and you know me. Do you really think I was desperately trying to develop feelings for a boy? You know how serious I am about being an incredible hero and making my family proud. At first, I hated him just like you do now. I was actually jealous of him after what he did at the sports festival and then he dragged me into his mess. I was conflicted and angry because all I saw when I looked at him was the 'Ice prince'. But then I began to see him as Todoroki."

Dark lord Jiro had been subdued as Jiro version 1 slowly sat down on the bed. Momo did the same and crossed her legs in front her friend to continue her heartfelt confession.

"Ever since our connection started, he has been nothing but considerate, kind, and just as confused as me. He never asked me to do anything for him and never took my willingness to help for granted. The night I was out after curfew, I went to his room of my own volition. It might of been because I'm too nice but I don't regret it at all. Not only did I learn more about him, but I also proved to him that I was going to help him no matter. I could tell how truly guilty he felt for the things that happened to me. Eventually, I realized that my willingness to help him wasn't just kindness. I felt something... warmer than kindness, warmer than anything else. I don't know exactly when it happened, but now when I look at him that feeling makes my chest ache.

Momo placed her hand on her chest and felt her racing heart. The tension she felt was assuaged the more she spoke about her feelings.

"I promised myself that these feelings won't affect my life and they're not… it's just a bit awkward to conceal them."

Jiro saw the look on her face. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen but her pretty lady was being completely honest. Momo really did have genuine feelings for him.

"So… do you love him?"

"NO! It's been three days since I really even got to know him. It's just… a lot has happened in those three days. I realized I have a crush on him and wanted to help him. That's all there is to it."

"Ok, I'm glad that you're being at least a **little bit** rational about your feelings. I still feel like this situation is just crazy and it's rubbing off on you a bit."

Jiro smiled teasingly at her friend and pulled her in for a tight hug.

"You're my best friend, and I **do** know you. This definitely wasn't easy for you and you're holding up so well. If what you say about Todoroki is true then it seems like he's innocent for the most part."

She pulled back and pressed her palms firmly into Momo's cheeks, squishing her lips open.

"Just promise me one thing pretty lady. You make sure that this connection business doesn't mess with your feelings. If you find that you like Todoroki for just as he is then I'm fine with it. I suppose a marriage to the son of Endeavor would be a fitting match for the lady of the Yaoyorozu family."

Momo jerked away in shock.

"M-M-M-Marriage!?

"Oh please your confession just now was enough to make Shakespeare cry."

Jiro took a knee on the bed and raised her right arm.

"Oh Todoroki, Wherefore art thou my _sweet Ice prince_! My heart has this _aching_ that must be _satisfi_-"

Momo had grabbed a pillow and wacked Jiro on the head.

"Seriously! My own teasing bodyguard has turned against me?"

"You just made it way to easy with that brutally honest confe-WHACK"

A pillow brawl began as the two friends broke into a fit of laughter. They threw every single one of Momo's silk covered pillows all across the room and eventually collapsed from laughing too hard. They each lay spread out, staring up at the intricate canopy above.

"Momo, no matter what we'll still be best friends right?"

Her puppy eyes were the cutest thing she'd ever seen Momo thought.

"That goes without saying my adorable little puppy."

"Remember, I have the power to eliminate that pretty faced bastard. You just say the word, Momo."

"I hope for all our sakes your demon powers never see the light of day again."

They shared a laugh and got ready for bed. Momo felt so relieved to have told her story. She felt the weight lift off her shoulders and the feeling eased her into a peaceful sleep.


	9. Guiding Light

{A/N: Hey guys, I've been taking more time to write longer chapters so they will usually come out every 3 to 4 days. Hope you've been enjoying the story so far! Let me know what you think of this chapter or the story overall with a review or pm, thanks!}

Three days had passed since their first meeting in the greenhouse. Momo's life as a student was getting back on track. The class was preparing for the upcoming midterms and Momo was focused on her goal to score high and help her study group succeed. At least away from the greenhouse that is. Nothing had distracted her the past three days besides a small fight between Todoroki and Bakugou earlier. She had convinced herself it was nothing since the angry blond boy never stopped pestering Todoroki for a rematch. The only thing that stood out besides was another dream about the snow white woman in the forest. She planned to tell Todoroki about it at their meeting later that day. The usually spent about 20 minutes everyday in the greenhouse. They would talk about class, hero training, and about themselves. Momo really enjoyed getting to know him even more. The re-establishment of their connection was… also enjoyable. Kissing the ice prince had become easier but revealing the feelings she had for him was anything but.

She was standing in front of her locker after a harsh session outdoors at the U.A. hero training facility. She took off her blue training top and let out a deep sigh. She had expended a lot of energy making items for combat as quickly as possible. Momo turned towards the mirror on her locker door. She stood in her white sports bra and skin tight leggings, both damp with sweat. Momo had always had a good figure but U.A.'s intense training regime had put her through the ringer. Her body was leaner and more defined than it had ever been before. She looked at herself, proud that her hero training was paying off in more ways than one. With the feeling of being comfortable in her own skin, the creation hero grabbed a towel from her locker and headed towards the showers.

She passed by the entrance of the locker room expecting to see Mina or Jiro who were also training nearby come in at any second. Studying was going well for her but she was worried for the others in her group… but mostly for Mina. Momo smiled thinking about how frustrated Jiro would get with their airhead friend. The locker room door opened with a slam and Momo turned to greet her friends. But it wasn't either of her good friends, nor was it a girl... Standing drenched in sweat and only wearing shorts was a wounded and desperate Todoroki.

"..."

He silently approached her.

1 ½ hours earlier

"Oi Todoroki! You, me, one on one. We're finishing our match from the sports festival damn it!"

Bakugou was going off on a neutral faced Todoroki as everyone from class A-1 gathered in the lobby of the boys dorm. It was a Saturday on the U.A. campus and Sero the sugar rush hero had asked the class if they wanted to try out some new pastry creations. The smell from the high tech kitchen had everyone drooling with anticipation. Everyone except an infuriated Bakugou and an indifferent Todoroki, the latter not having much of a sweet tooth anyway.

A timer rang from the kitchen and everyone else in the class flocked towards the smell. Sero baked 12 different flavors of muffins including every berry flavor, chocolate, lemon, cinnamon, and even a tea flavor. There were only 2 of each so a small war broke out over who got to try which flavors. Momo was in no rush so when she finally got to the kitchen counter, there were only a blackberry, lemon, and two tea flavored muffins left. Mina had dragged Jiro to the group of class A-1 girls to compare their pair of cinnamon flavored muffins. She was deliberating on which muffin to try when she glanced over to the living room area.

Todoroki was staring directly at her and then immediately turned away upon eye contact. Bakugou was still yelling at him until a spiky haired Kaminari grabbed the explosive heroes collar and led him to the main group of boys to try some muffins. Momo was taken aback by Todoroki's apparent interest in her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts until an idea popped into her head. Since Todoroki was now sitting on a couch separated from class she could talk to him for a bit without being scrutinized. Momo grabbed both of the tea muffins and made her way to the isolated couch. Todoroki's expression softened as she approached.

"I remember you saying you don't like sweets but I figured the flavor of tea trumps everything for you."

She handed him a muffin with a smile, proud of herself for calmly relaying what she wanted to say. He took the offering with a small smirk.

"I suppose you're right M-... Yaoyorozu."

He looked slightly dejected by the nearby presence of their classmates. The pair ate in silence for a minute. They hadn't gotten the chance to really talk in person outside of their daily meetings. Todoroki was the first to speak.

"You were right, this muffin isn't too sweet. I like it."

He was looking at her again and Momo suddenly got nervous.

"O-Oh yeah I just figured you'd like to try one like the rest of the c-class. I'm… glad you liked it."

There was some kind of commotion happening in the main group so they were too preoccupied to notice the pair eating together. The tea muffin she was eating had a slightly bitter taste that would put most people off. It didn't have the sugary taste of most muffins but Momo found it to be especially tasty regardless. She looked at Todoroki as he ate. He had the same neutral expression as always but she could tell that he was enjoying it. She smiled as she began to ask a question when-

"TODOROKI!"

Bakugou had clearly been the cause of the commotion earlier as he stomped away from the main group. He put his foot up on the couch next to his target.

"I'm tired of waiting, I need to beat you at full power already!"

The boy he was yelling at simply ignored him and continued to eat. Bakugou had enough of his cool attitude. He slapped the muffin right out of Todoroki hand as he yelled,

"Are you scared or something, huh?! You're still trying to hold back the power you inherited from Endeavor? What's the matter with you, you got daddy issues or something?!"

Todoroki froze in place. Everyone in the room stopped dead as they looked at the conflict taking place. Momo stood to say something but Todoroki moved first. He slowly stood up and shot Bakugou a look that sent a chill down the spine of every person there. His piercing heterochromatic eyes glared directly through Bakugou.

"Training facility in an hour, I'll give you exactly what you've been asking for. I'll destroy you."

He left the lobby through the sliding glass doors as everyone remembered to breathe again. Even Bakugou was a little shaken up by his classmates sudden coldness. He tried to blow it off as everyone was now looking towards him.

"Finally, I'll put that half-and-half bastard in his place! Move!"

He brushed past his classmates as he headed towards the elevator to await his duel with the son of Endeavor. Momo had seen all of this happen right next to her and she was truly disturbed. The Todorki she had just seen was not the boy she had gotten to know over the past week. A feeling of dread gathered in her stomach as she thought of the face Todoroki had just made. Jiro could see that her friend was visibly shaken up by the ordeal so before everyone came to their senses, she suggested that the girls head back to their dorm. The group left the building while gossiping about had just transpired.

"I've never seen Todoroki so angry before, he's usually so calm" Tsuyu bluntly said.

"Yeah! I hope everything works out safely between those two. Should we tell a teacher about it?" Uraraka chimed in.

The girls continued talking in a group as Jiro glanced back at her friend who was lagging behind. Momo gripped her right arm and stared down at the ground in front of her. Jiro didn't need to be her best to know that she was feeling a plethora of negative emotions. Thankfully the other girls hadn't noticed just yet and Jiro was determined to get them all back to the dorm where she could comfort her friend in private.

"Hey, lets have an all girl study session in the lobby when we get back. I'm sure our class president and a few of the other boys will take care of any fights that break out. Let's just focus on studying since everything is going to be fine."

Jiro said this to the group but was specifically directed at Momo.

The girls reached their dorm and separated to bring their studying materials back to the lobby.

Momo reached her room and simply plopped down face first onto her bed. Jiro had followed her and saw her in this state.

"You know, you looked really worried Momo."

She simply mumbled into her bed as a response.

"They were just having an argument, I don't blame Todoroki for getting that mad with all the times that Bakugou has yelled at him for a rematch. It's probably good for them to put this matter to rest. There's no need for you to be so worried."

Momo took a moment and then sat up, her worried expression remained unchanged.

"It's just… The way he acted when he got mad, the face he made... that wasn't Todoroki. I know who he really is more than anyone in class. At least I think I do."

Momo was at a loss. Did she really know him that well? With everything that had happened that week, maybe she was deluding herself to get through this situation. Everything had happened so fast, it would make sense if things weren't as they seemed. Her eyes teared up as these thoughts rushed through her head. Jiro grabbed both of her hands in front of her.

"Listen Momo, I'm the last person who would try to convince you of the integrity in a boy. But the feelings you told me about the other night were pure and honest. You wouldn't have felt that way about a boy who was deceitful or manipulative. Personally I don't think Todoroki seems like that at all. I think he got triggered by Bakugou's pestering and let out some pent up frustration. He even mentioned his father, I think there has to be some bad history there. Basically what I'm trying to tell you is don't overthink this."

Momo was trying to control her breathing as she listened. The words from her friend calmed her down and spoke reason into her confused heart. She knew Jiro was right, she was overthinking things because of her emotional connection to Todoroki. She couldn't let something like this get in the way of studying or becoming a hero. Momo stood up and smiled at Jiro

"Ok I'm ready, let's study as much as we can."

The pair headed down to the lobby and joined in on the study session. After about 30 minutes Mina had had enough.

"IT'S HOPELESS, why do I need to know math to beat up some villains!? We should be training for our practical exam too right? Let's do that!"

While she was trying to get out of studying, she did make a good point. Heroes need to be physically capable as well. Jiro glanced at Momo before she spoke.

"OK, we can use the outdoor multi terrain field for some training. The practical exam is definitely going to be the hardest part of the midterm so it's a good idea."

"Aaaand it's right next to the Training facility so that we can see the rematch betwee-"

Jiro just had to lift her leg a few inches to silence the alien girl who had grown used to roundhouse kicks.

"We go for training and that's it. After we change in the lockers it's back to hitting the books. Sound good Momo?"

Momo nodded in agreement, glad to be doing something to distract her from her worried thoughts. The other girls opted to continue studying written material as Jira, Mina, and Momo made their way to the outdoor course.

Present Time

Momo stood utterly frozen in place. All of the emotions she had been suppressing for last couple of hours broke through the flood gates within her. The positive and negative feelings crashed into each other like two giant waves, canceling each other out and leaving Momo unable to move or react in any way. She simply observed the boy in front of her. His hand gripped the side of the door for support as steam rose from his burnt and bruised body. He had clearly been subjected to several of Bakugo's explosions but his face did not reveal any pain. His eyes were glossed over, staring almost menacingly at Momo in her state of undress.

In any other situation, Momo would have done something. Her body was crying out in both fear for herself and concern for Todoroki. It paralyzed her, even as he approached with a stomping gait. She wanted to run, she wanted to scream, but at the same time she wanted to believe in the boy she grew to have feelings for. His hands gripped her shoulders and she felt the cold sting of the locker door on the skin of her back. Momo couldn't look away from him. His cruel eyes looked right through her. She felt betrayed by those eyes. All the trust she had placed in him, all the feelings she had willingly shared. Had it all meant nothing? She wouldn't be able to forgive him or herself if that were the case. Her stomach dropped and a sickening feeling spread through her body. She needed to move, but something in her body kept her rooted in place. She didn't want to feel sick like this anymore, so then why could she not turn away as Todoroki came closer? His wounded and exposed body pressed against hers as their lips met.

She felt the heat flow through her body, but instead of feeling the comforting warmth she was used too, the heat was tainted by an overwhelming emotion: hatred. The cocoon of warming pressure around her was scarred by searing hot marks that stung her body. The difference from the previous times they had kissed was painfully clear. Something was affecting Todoroki to cause his anger. The visions of the boys' experiences came to her with this realization. His eyes became hers and the events she had been so worried about unfolded before her.

He was watching Momo from across the lobby as she stood in the kitchen. She approached him with two muffins in hand and a sense of comfort came over him. He felt at peace eating and talking to her. The voice of Bakugou yelling at him was merely a distraction that didn't bother him in the slightest. Even when he slapped the muffin from his hand, he only felt concerned for how Momo would take it. Then Bakogou mentioned his father.

It was always a trigger for him but he could normally handle the emotions that came with it. For some reason when Bakugou spoke of his father, something erupted within him. A boiling rage consumed everything else in his mind. He vaguely remembered threatening Bakugou with a match in the training facility. He was viewing everything as if it were a dream in which he could only see the object of his hatred. Ten minutes later Todoroki found himself walking the path of the U.A Trail. He had been in a daze and now finally calm enough to be fully aware of his surroundings. He realized that no matter what had caused him to act like that, it was still unbecoming of the hero he wanted to be. He continued walking as he planned an apology to give his classmates and Bakugou. He might have instigated it but Todoroki knew the explosion hero wasn't a bad person.

Before he knew it, he had ended up at the greenhouse. In the brief time he had spent in it, it had become one of his favorite places on campus. The crisp clean air and peace and quiet of the domed structure was perfect for him. It was also the place that he got to see… Momo. He smiled as the name crossed his mind; she was the only person he referred to with familiarity outside of his family. Todoroki sat on his side of the bench they shared during their meetings. He was glad to be there after experiencing that frightening feeling earlier. He endured a level of hatred at that moment that he never had before. He needed to set things right at the training facility.

Time passed until he knew Bakugou would be awaiting his arrival. He reached the glass building and found Midoriyama and Lida standing watch over the entrance to a certain training room. They both expressed their concerns about the fight but Todoroki assured them that he had no intention of fighting and would instead apologize for his reaction earlier. He didn't want to start a needless brawl on school grounds. The two looked relieved and gladly let him into the room. The entirety of the room spanned around length and width of a football field. Multiple terrains were spread out evenly amongst the room. Bakugou could be seen standing on top of a large rock looking down at him.

"Finally! I was beginning to think you chickened out you half faced bastard…"

He lept down and began walking towards Todoroki

"Listen Bakugou I didn't mean what I said earlier, let's not-"

"Bullshit! You were actually pissed off for the first time and I was happy to see it!"

Todoroki felt a pain inside his chest, something was building like before.

"No Bakugou, that was a mistake… I didn't-"

"It doesn't matter! You're here now and you want to fight me don't you!?"

His body was containing something dangerous, an unknown feeling that threatened to unleash itself. The corners of Todoroki's vision began to burn dark red.

"Do I need to get you mad again for this happen Todoroki!?"

"Please, just stop."

"You know I've always wondered about your scar… is that why whenever your dad gets brought up you lose your temper?"

Hatred came forth from Todoroki's very being. A fire that consumed his senses spread over his eyes. The world was a deep Red Sea. There was something there, the bright yellow figure of a man stood in front of him. He didn't understand what he was seeing, but he knew exactly what his body was telling him. He needed to release his hatred upon the figure in front of him. He needed to destroy the figure in its entirety. He needed to paint the world around him a deep, dark, enrapturing red.

He felt his body ease forward in the murkiness that surrounded him. He faintly registered pain from his arm as he reached towards the bright figure, but nothing could compare to the feeling of hatred he was feeding on. Everything else paled in comparison as his blows connected onto the object he was directing his hatred towards. A feeling of power overcame his pain as the light seemed to grow dimmer.

Then he felt a slight resistance to his movement. He could only see the yellow figure but he could tell that a person was stopping him. It didn't matter, the power he felt would let him do as he pleased. He was about to exert himself to the fullest extent when the yellow figures blurred edges became more clear. The figure turned into a defined silhouette of a tall bulky man. Todoroki paused as the revelation hit him: his hatred had been directed at the glowing embodiment of his father, Endeavor.

The yellow light dispersed and the Red Sea became a mist of red covering his eyes. He was barely able to see what was happening around him. The entire room had a sheet of ice over it except for the gaping hole surrounding a seriously injured Bakugou. Lida was gripping him tightly from behind as Midoriyama saw to his wounded childhood friend. His other senses also returned as he heard Lida behind him.

"Todoroki! What happened to you! Why did you lie about wanting to apologize! You've hurt your own classmate for no good reason!

No. No he didn't want this. Midoriyama was helping Bakugou up when he spoke.

"Todoroki, there better be a good explanation for this. I don't know why you went so far but Bakugou didn't deserve this."

They were telling him things he already knew. His frustration was growing and his vision began to grow darker. No, he couldn't let this continue. Todoroki broke free from the class president and sprinted out of the room while he still had his senses about him. He was scared and confused, the pain of his injuries was only now catching up to him. He stumbled through the hallway of the training facility, his vision fading into red quickly. The weight of hatred on his body threatened to crush him.

He was in the Red Sea again, but something was different. He felt a soothing aura coming from a distant place. That feeling was what guided him forward, the hope of escaping the consuming hatred was the one thing he could focus on. He saw a bold blue glow from a distance. Todoroki was barely holding on to his sense of self. He reached the doorway from which the light Emanated from. Inside was a dazzling sapphire that shadowed out the redness surrounding it. Todoroki knew he had found his salvation. He needed to reach it no matter what. His body enveloped the shining aura of the sapphire, the Red Sea dissolving into nothingness around him.

Yaoyorozu Momo opened her eyes.


	10. Question Marks

The connection that bonds Momo to Todoroki allows for them each to go through what the other has seen and what emotions are evoked from these experiences in their minds. It happens in the instant the reconnecting kiss takes place. The kiss itself feels almost like an afterthought compared to the tsunami of exchanging information. It allowed for Momo to live through the terrifying and hellish experience that Todoroki had just persevered through. It was unbelievable to think that her vision had been his reality. The nightmare of not being able to control your own feelings or actions must have taken its toll on the boy. Not to mention the guilt he must have felt for harming Bakugou and involving Midoriyama and Lida in this bizarre situation. She understood everything that he was feeling, so much so that she knew exactly what she would see when her eyes opened.

Tears streamed down his face. An expression of equal parts confusion and horror flashed in front of her. Todoroki stumbled back from Momo, hitting the row of lockers behind him as he slid to the ground. He sat upright as he fumbled with his words.

"I'm s-so sorry, I don't know how… I didn't mean for any of this too…"

Momo didn't say a word. She felt an odd sense of calm within her. The sight of an emotionally distraught Todoroki hurt her heart but at the same time it relieved her of the burden of doubt that weighed so heavily on it earlier. The worry she felt from witnessing him threaten Bakugou. The doubt she placed in him once again as he entered the locker room. The fear she felt as he pressed himself into her with hatred etched into his face. All of it stemmed from the root of the problem; everything had been caused by a new symptom that manifested from within Todoroki. He had no control over the condition that plagued him. The relief she felt in that moment was almost too much to bear.

Todoroki tried to continue speaking but was stopped when Momo fell to her knees in front of him. She put her hands around his head and pulled him into her chest. The relief escaped her body through tears as she held Todoroki's head under her chin.

"It's OK Shoto, you don't need to speak."

His name rolled off her tongue with the full sum of her affection behind it. She could say it now because doing so encapsulated all her unspoken feelings for him into one single word. His shaky breath slowed as he succumb to the comfort Momo was offering. When he had calmed down enough, Momo brought her hands to the sides of his face and looked into his eyes. Todoroki gazed back, the eyes that had once held such contempt now reflected a sense of wonderment, as if he couldn't believe she was treating him so kindly.

"I could have hurt you Momo, you don't have to be so kind to me. You should-"

Momo had wondered about something for the past few days, ever since she realized how she really felt about the boy who stole her first kiss. What would happen if they were to kiss again after their connection was re-established? It was an experiment they had yet to complete; however, what she did next was in no way related to an experiment. Todoroki's lips kept forming unnecessary words and her own were unable to form the words in her heart. She communicated her words to him through action.

Momo leaned into his exposed body, her arms reached around his head as she pulled his lips to her own. The result was nothing dangerous, nothing extraordinary or bizarre. For as mentally simulating as there connection was, their first true kiss was equally as stimulating physically. Rather than a rapid exchange of temperature and experiences, this kiss was simply their bodies feeling the sensation of the other. The entirely new stimulation made Momo light headed. She felt his firm body on her skin as she held their kiss. The need for air caused her to unwrap her arms from his head and push her hands into his chest to relinquish herself from the heavenly feeling.

Momo was breathing heavily as she pushed herself up. Her hands felt the defined muscles of his chest. Her mind was in a euphoric haze as she met his eyes. She was lost in the heat of the moment. Todoroki raised a hand to her cheek. His expression was only making her more light headed. The always neutral faced Todoroki was now looking at her with a smoldering gaze. His flushed skin and parted lips showed that he too had felt the different kind of impact a normal kiss could have.

She felt his other hand press against the small of her back. He brought himself up to eye level with her. The hand on her cheek made its way through her hair as he closed his eyes and-

"MOOOOMOOOOO CHAAAAAAN!"

The door to the girls locker room swung open as a cheery Mina walked in alongside Jiro. They walked on a seemingly empty locker room. Mina looked around the lockers.

"Momo are you in here?"

They were met with silence until the sound of water of water splashing from the showers filled the room.

"H-Hey guys! I just stepped into the shower."

The instant she heard the door opening she had grabbed Todoroki by the arm and thrown him in the nearest shower. The closed curtain was now the only thing separating her friends from an almost nude Todoroki. She groaned internally as her day had just become even more complicated. Momo heard the two girls talking and using their lockers so she had a moment to think. She could tell him to leave when the girls entered their own showers but someone else could walk in at any moment. She had to clear a path for him to leave and until then they were stuck together once again.

Water from the shower landed in between them as if marking each of their territories. Her leggings were soaking wet and uncomfortable so she emphatically motioned for the boy to turn head to the corner of the shower. Her hazy mind had been completely cleared and now was painfully aware of the embarrassing situation she was in. The leggings fell to the corner of the shower as Momo stood with her back pressed to the wall. She was now dressed in only a white sports bra and an especially skimpy pair of white panties. Even though Todoroki was diligently standing in the corner with his eyes closed, she felt the desperate need to cover as much of herself with her arms as humanly possible.

Her face blushed brighter than the sun as she thought of how she had so lewdly pressed her body into Todoroki. Her mom would murder her! She remembered the time her mother had scolded her to no end for giving a boy a quick hug in elementary school.

"Sorry mom, your daughter has become a devilish vixen who preys on innocent boys… Although Todoroki isn't completely innocent."

Momo's thoughts wandered irrationally until her two friends entered the two shower stalls next to her. Mina raised her voice to be heard over the sound of falling water echoing in the locker room.

"Hey Momo, you feeling better now? I think everyone was a little concerned after Todoroki talked down Bakugou like that. But Jiro says it'll work itself out right?"

"That's right, there's no way Mister calm, cool, and collected would do anything that stupid. Especially on school grounds. Don't worry about it Momo."

"...Yeah."

She looked towards Todoroki who was now staring down at the corner in front of him with an expression of pain and regret. Momo was perhaps the only person who could understand how innocent Todoroki was in what had happened between him and Bakugou. Their classmates could easily find out about what happened that day and she didn't know what they would think of him. They would have doubts and misgivings just like she had for the past week. The special bond she shared with him made her the only person who could comfort him at that moment.

She didn't dare speak and risk drawing attention to her. Momo tried to ignore her own discomfort and nervousness for Todoroki's sake. She lowered her arms from their protective position and walked through the falling water. Todoroki noticed her but didn't look away from his spot on the wall. The red burns and bruising on his arms must have just as painful as the regret he felt in his actions. She wanted to ease his pain. Her hands reached around his head and covered his eyes for a moment. He seemed to understand since his eyes were closed as she removed her hands and took hold of his own.

Momo led the blind Todoroki into the warmth of the shower. He flinched as the water covered his wounds but his mouth opened in a silent sigh of relief soon after. The intimacy of the moment wasn't missed by Momo; however, she didn't feel as embarrassed anymore. She was the one who had kissed Todoroki even after their connection was reformed. The reason she did so was because… she cared about him. She wanted him to feel safe and unburdened by guilt.

"Hey you alright in there Momo? We're getting ready to leave."

Jiro's voice jolted her back to her precarious reality. She needed to think of a plan and quick. She reached for the curtain and peeked her head out from the side.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a second Jiro!"

She flashed a bright smile at the earjack hero before hastily retreating for a strategy meeting.

Todoroki was still standing under the water with his eyes closed to his credit. She tapped twice on his shoulder to silently get his attention. He stepped away from the stream of water and slowly opened his eyes. The moment he saw Momo's blushed, panicked expression along with her scantily clad body he did an immediate 180 degree spin. While she was glad he respected her privacy, this was no time for such courtesy. She immediately turned him back around grabbed his chin. His eyes opened in surprise as Momo motioned with her free hand touching her lips. She mouthed to him, _stay here, be quiet, I'll come back for you_. He had a flustered expression but he nodded in response. He also mouthed back a thank you but Momo had already enacted her plan. She poked her head back out from the curtain.

"Hey can one you throw me my towel from across the room? I must have dropped it without realizing haha…"

Her voice was a bit high pitched but Mina thankfully didn't feel the need to comment on it as she picked up the purple towel and tossed it to Momo's outstretched hand. Now came the tricky part for them both. She turned back to Todoroki who had been anxiously staring at the wall. He sensed her eyes on him and when he turned to look, Momo had an expression that would put any pouting tsundere to shame. Todoroki seemed to teleport into the corner of the shadow with eyes shut tight upon seeing such a sight. She quickly removed her soaked undergarments and dropped them on top of her leggings in the shower. While she knew Todoroki wouldn't dare open his eyes, she couldn't stop her heart beating wildly in her chest. Being naked so close to a high school boy was not something a lady of the Yaoyorozu name should be doing. She made a mental note to text her mom that she loved her later as she quickly stepped out of the shower wrapped in her towel. After making sure the curtain was drawn completely closed, she made her way to the lockers.

"Ugghhhh I don't want to keep studyingggg."

"Mina, you have the smartest person in our class helping you study. You should be grateful for the opportunity instead of running that whiny alien mouth of yours."

"At least I'm not always daydreaming about a certain blonde classmate of ours…"

"...Um, definitely not. My heart belongs to Momo."

"...same."

Momo was glad to see her friends preoccupied with entertaining small talk. Her heart was still going full throttle since Todoroki was going to be in a rough predicament until she could save him. She quickly threw on a new set of causal clothing from her backpack and got ready to leave.

"Lets head back you two, I may be pretty smart but it's because I study a lot and we have a lot of material to cover once we get back. And I love you guys too."

Both girls let out a deep sigh as they agreed and headed out of the locker room. Momo made sure to wait about two minutes before starting her rescue operation. They were about halfway to the girls dorm.

"Oh no! I seem to have left my phone in my locker! I'll just meet you guys in the lobby for more studying ok?"

Her two friends shared a curious glance before shrugging their approval. She started retracing her steps back to the lockers and as she broke line of sight with the girls she broke out into a fast jog. She was praying that no else had entered the room where a helpless Todoroki stood almost nude behind a shower curtain. The thought made her put her training to good use. While on the run she used her quirk to produce a simple white tee and a pair of boys gym shorts. She didn't see anyone around the lockers as she approached and she didn't hear a sound when she entered the room. She let out a sigh of relief as she headed towards the showers. She spoke after letting out a loud cough.

"Hey Todoroki, I think we're clear so let's get you out of here."

He emerged from behind the curtain and his state of undress made her avert her eyes and quickly hand him the clothes she had made. She reached into the shower and stuffed her wet undergarments into the sports bag she was carrying. She desperately tried to ignore the fact that Todoroki had been right next to her bra and panties for an extended period of time.

"L-Let's hurry"

Momo checked the hallway outside of the locker and they were free to escape. As they made it outside the training facility, they were home free. Momo let out a laugh.

"Did that really just happen? That could have gone so badly, in so many ways."

"... I'm sorry you got put in that situation because of me, and thank you for helping me."

"Todoroki… I know from your memories that you didn't have full control over your body. There was definitely some kind of new symptom causing you to act in that way. The hatred that I felt through you was something unnatural."

He was silent for a while after that. She eventually looked towards him and saw an anguished expression. She wanted to know exactly what he was thinking.

"We should definitely report this to Recovery girl right away but before that, is there anything you want to talk to me about?"

He looked downwards to a moment. His conscience was clearly weighing heavily on him for some reason. He slowly turned to her.

"We've become close very quickly Momo, and I think we know a lot about one another. But there are certain things about myself that I don't tell anyone. Whether its because I'm proudly overcoming the problem or shamefully running away it, I can't honestly tell. Momo… I have more trust in you than in any of our classmates. With what I've put you through you deserve to hear everything that I keep to myself. So, after we talk to Recovery girl I'll tell you everything."

The fact that he felt trust in her to that extent made Momo truly happy. She smiled from the heart and nodded as they made their way to the U.A. hospital. She grabbed her phone and sent Jiro a message basically saying that something had come up involving her connection with Todoroki and that she had to swing by the hospital. She felt bad about ditching their study group but at least Jiro could understand the importance in her meeting with Recovery girl.

Momo put her phone in her training bag and glanced at Todoroki. His usual neutral face was lit up by the afternoon sun. She realized that was the first time they had actually taken a walk together on the U.A. trail without the influence of their connection affecting them. It was comforting being with him without any outside pressure. When she thought about them spending time together, it filled her with an incredible sense of-

"So about what happened after we reconnected."

"...what?"

"You know, you stopped me from breaking down in the locker room."

"When I stopped you…"

Her mind went haywire as she realized exactly what he was asking about. How could she even explain to him what she meant by that when she couldn't even form words around the subject?

"I think I know exactly what you meant when you did those things for me."

"... Y-Y-Yeah? I… do you?…um…"

Momo was in a legitimate panic as to what she was going to say. Should she just confess right now? What if things went terribly and it became terribly awkward around Todoroki? What about her duty to be a hero and honor her family? Could she let herself feel this way and still become the ideal hero? She turned her face away and looked down as her heart jumped to her throat. Why was it so hard to voice her feelings outloud to him? She kissed him every day and yet… her chest tightened. Momo prepared herself to give an explanation. Her true feelings had been laid bare in the locker room and she should own up to them. She stood her ground and looked at Todoroki as he spoke.

"You were trying to comfort me and I truly appreciate it. You have a way of calming me down whenever I'm with you. I couldn't ask for a better friend to help me through this ordeal. Thank you Momo."

"...?...?...**?**...**?!**"

Momo took a reflective moment to herself. The socially inept ice prince had **truly **lived up to his reputation. Either he had decided to completely ignore her actions earlier or he had grown up on mars and hadn't heard of anything involving romance in his entire life. She was almost certain it was the latter as he had spoken so casually, as if nothing of note had happened. Her utter confusion and anger at the boys social incompetence turned into a boisterous laugh. She found it adorable that he was so clueless about certain things. She couldn't help but laugh off all her worries at that moment. Maybe this was for the best. Her feelings could wait until they had sorted out the mystery surrounding them.

"Sorry, sorry Todoroki, it's just that I didn't expect that kind of response. I'm glad that I can help calm you down when you need it. You do the same for me even if you don't realize it."

"I see. You know I usually hate when anyone outside my family addresses me by my first but when you said it earlier, it felt natural. So if you want to keep calling that when it's just the two of us then I wouldn't mind."

Momo paused. **This boy. **He was playing with the feelings in her heart like a kid on a see-saw. He didn't know any better, having grown up on mars and all, but maybe it was time for Jiro to teach him a lesson or two. She couldn't stay mad it him though. After all what he had said was truly heartfelt. She sighed internally as they entered the hospital.

They met with Recovery girl and quickly told her about their new experience and apparent symptoms. While they spoke a group of doctors scanned their bracelets and started analyzing the data from them. After about ten minutes they spoke to Recovery girl and she was ready to give her medical advice on the situation.

"Over the past few days you two were able to control your connection without a problem, that is, until today. Todoroki, you reported losing your senses to a feeling of hatred that was unnatural is that correct?"

He nodded in response.

"You also reported seeing a vision of light that resembled your father. I can't help but feel like that means he would know something about your situation. When can you contact him?"

"He'll be returning from his mission this upcoming Wednesday. Then I'll be able to meet with him."

Momo studied the expression on Todoroki's face but it was hard to read the conflicting emotions in it.

"Well in the meantime we've modified your bracelet monitors with a sedative. We recorded a new the highest internal temperature yet from the time period of your episode today. Now when either of your temperatures reach above a certain degree the sedative will inject itself immediately and that should help you greatly. Other than that, I want to ask you a question Todoroki, how well do you know those boys who came in with Bakugou earlier?"

"They are classmates whom I trust."

"Well if you do trust them I would allow you to explain your situation to them in confidence, especially to Bakugou. I think it would help smooth over this unfortunate event for everyone involved. All three of them are still here at the hospital for the moment. Bakugou will be discharged soon so you could meet with them now."

Todoroki took a moment and then agreed with the medical hero. She left the room with medical team after giving them both a reassuring handshake. He looked at Momo who gave him a nod of encouragement.

"I'll go explain things to them Momo, why don't you go meet up Jiro and the other girls. They need your help studying right?"

He gave her a warm smile as he finished speaking. He had obviously heard the girls talking in the locker room about how she was the"prodigal tutor". She smiled back.

"I think I'll do that. And I think it's a good thing that you'll have someone to talk to about our connection. Talking to Jiro helps me out a lot. So… I guess we'll have that talk you promised some other time then. Right S-Shoto?"

She scorned her nerves for making her stutter, but at least she had managed to speak his first name in a normal setting. He nodded towards her.

"I'll text you later tonight."

With that he turned towards the exit and left the room. Momo was feeling a bit too happy for only being told that she would get a text later. Somehow getting a personal text from the ice prince himself had a certain appeal of its own. Although considering his social skills she imagined she might receive a hilariously robotic message.

She remembered that she was desperately needed to be elsewhere and gathered her things. Hopefully Mina hadn't collapsed in a pool of her own acid yet like she usually did after studying. The walk back to her dorm was refreshing after a tense day. U.A.'s campus glimmered beautifully around late afternoon as the glass covered school buildings caught the light at the perfect angle. The reflected light shine over the large pond that covered the middle of campus. The U.A. Trail circled around it, giving numerous angles to appreciate the beauty of modern construction.

Momo arrived at the dorm to find only Uraraka and Tsuyu Chan in the lobby. Apparently Mina had made a scene again (a real shocker) and jiro and Toru had cleaned up the slippery mess, causing the urgent need for them to shower. She sighed and told the girls she would check on Mina and join back with them shortly.

She took the elevator up to her floor to grab the study materials in her room. She entered and dropped off her sports bag in exchange for school bag from beside her bed.

"Oh, hey there Momo!"

She froze, and turned her head. Jiro was laying on her side over Momo's bed and wearing an uncomfortably wide smile. Momo was a little taken aback by her face.

"Oh hey there Jiro… why are you in my room? haha."

She didn't say anything as she stood up and walked towards her, with the same wide smile on her face.

"You know Momo, I got into U.A. because of my unique quirk. My hearing is incredibly good and not only that… I can use my ear jack in a wall to count how many people are in a 4 story building just based on vibrations from their movements."

She stood in front of Momo and placed a hand on her shoulder. The color in Momo's face paled instantly as the air around her became devoid of oxygen. A chill rain straight through her soul as Jiro's wide grin slowly turned into an unholy scowl. The dark lord had emerged.

"**Are you gonna tell why I heard the sound of clothing hitting the shower floor while you were in the stall with **_**SOMEONE ELSE? **_**And girl, I know damn well it was Todoroki. Just admit it so that I can kill him with a completely clear conscience."**

This day just kept getting better and better for Momo.


	11. Truths

5 p.m. on a Saturday at U.A. Usually meant students socializing in the dorm lobbies or enjoying the campus' numerous facilities for training and therapeutic recovery. With midterms within a week however, the campus' study hall and library were packed with students studying the academics behind hero work. The written exams for class 1-A would take place on Thursday followed by the practical exam on Friday.

Momo was gathering her studying materials in her room when a certain demonic lord of overprotection bared their fangs. The initial shock of seeing Jiro in her room had worn off and somehow she had expected this. As bad as it seemed to her friend, Momo knew the shower situation had arisen from Todoroki's fugue state after his fight with Bakugou. Everything after that had been the result of Momo trying to save Todoroki the embarrassment of being found in the women's locker room.

"Jiro it's really not that bad-"

"**He was the in the shower with you… were you naked!?"**

"No! I wasn't ever… oh well actually-"

"**WELL ACTUALLY? What has he done to you!?"**

Momo opened her mouth to respond with a slight smile on her face. Jiro's powers of overprotection showed how much she cared for her but… Momo didn't respond. Her emotions were caught in her throat. She felt the smile slowly slip from her face.

"**Momo I was right, wasn't I? Todoroki did something inappropriate right?"**

Flashes of the last few days flew through her mind. His face framed by beautiful flowers in the greenhouse, His body pressed into hers in the lockers, His hand against her cheek…

"**I won't let him keep doing this to you! Let's do something to…"**

Jiro's dark aura reeled in all at once. There was a pressure coming from her left arm which was on Momo's shoulder. A hand was gripping her wrist tightly. Jiro looked back at Momo and saw a pained grimace on her face. She was looking down at the ground.

"You need to stop Jiro, you're misunderstanding things."

Jiro was shocked as she realized how tightly Momo was gripping her forearm. She was clearly upset and the fact that her anger was directed at her hurt deeply. Jiro took a step back while at a loss for words. She was torn between her own feelings of worry and her need for her best friend to be happy. She sat on the bed behind her before speaking.

"Momo, I'm sorry for always yelling about these things. It's just… Can you help me understand exactly what you're thinking? I'm scared for you."

Momo finally looked up. She didn't mean to hurt her trusted friend. Perhaps the fact that emotions and experiences could be easily exchanged through her bizarre connection had made it harder to express them verbally when needed. She sat down on the bed next to Jiro.

"I didn't mean to hurt you Jiro, I will help you understand if you can accept one simple fact."

"Ok, I'm all ear jacks"

"Todoroki is not doing anything consciously to hurt me or get closer to me in any way that would be deemed inappropriate."

"...Consciously? So what about unconsciously?"

"I say consciously because after a fight between him and Bakugou, he was in this kind of dreamlike trance that brought him to me in the locker room. Our connection led him to me without him even realizing. Everything after that fact was me covering for him."

"...Seriously?"

"Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. I experienced everything he felt through our connection so I know for a fact he's not lying about anything. My mom always told me that a hero should help those in need regardless of the situation. Even if it comes at a great sacrifice to oneself. Selflessness is the fuel that ignites heroism. I want to be a hero like my parents and so that is what I'm doing: helping someone in need."

"Well… when you put it like i mean…"

"But Jiro, do me a favor and forget about the whole shower situation. Even if I was helping someone out, my Mom would probably disown me if she thought I was fraternizing with a boy."

Jiro let out a deep sigh.

"Look, You don't have to worry about me saying but imagine if Mina had found you guys. Your mom would have been on a helicopter to bring you back home within the hour."

The pair let out a shared laugh. The tension in the room had dissipated and they were back to normal. Jiro smiled warmly at her best friend.

"So now that I'm looking at this rationally, it seems like Todoroki isn't trying to take advantage of you. I'm happy about that, but what about your feelings? Are you doing ok?"

Momo took a second to formulate her response. She remembered her walk with Todoroki to the hospital earlier.

"I'm doing good. There was a moment when I thought that Todoroki saw me in a different way but I think he's too serious to focus on things like romance. When I realized that I decided that it was for the best if we kept things as they are. Minus any locker room business."

She giggled and turned to Jiro. Rather than smiling, she had almost a sad expression on her face. Jiro came closer to Momo and put her head to her bosom in a warm embrace.

"I'm glad you're ok Momo, but don't try to hold back your feelings too much. I'm always here to talk you ok? And I promise I won't freak out again like I have been. I want you to be happy."

Jiro looked up with her world class puppy eyes, making Momo's heart squeeze.

"How could I not be happy with someone as cute as you as friend?"

"Oh Momo, save those lines for Todoroki."

"Im serious! I'm sure one of the boys will fall for you eventually."

"No! Mina is enough to listen too, I can't let my innocent maiden tease me about love."

Jiro's face blushed as she stood up from the bed.

"Come on, we have to go be heroes and save a helpless alien from failing her midterms."

She made her way to the door but Momo's statement stopped her.

"Hey Jiro, I want to tell you everything that happens with me but in turn I want you to confide in me. I feel like I never get to hear about what you go through. I'm here for you too Jiro."

Jiro stopped and turned to her friend. Her face was full of appreciation.

"Momo… you're gonna make me cry and tackle you like our pink haired friend. Thank you my pretty lady."

The pair gathered their things and made their way to the lobby. On the way they picked up a glob of slime on the floor that had once been the shape of Mina. Stress from tests usually caused this kind of reaction from her. Once in the lobby they each grabbed a side of the pink blob and pulled until-

"Oh hey guys, Oh man that was a good nap."

They both sighed and looked at their friend who was now stretching her now normally shaped legs on the lobby floor. The other girls from their class had either retired to their rooms or gone to the library for more studying. Momo found a nice comfortable table near a window and set down her things. She offered to make tea while Jiro got started on running Mina through the basics of their coursework. Momo placed the teapot on the burner with a smile. Somehow the thought of tea immediately transported her to that night in Todoroki's room. The smell made her think of them sitting together, understanding each other more and more. Maybe that was the first time that she… no maybe even before that. She was lost in thought when the whistle from the pot brought her back to earth. She hurriedly pulled it off the stove. Mina had actually taken some notes down when Momo arrived with three cups of tea.

The trio from class A-1 studied diligently until the sun dipped into the horizon. The light from the window next to them began to fade and street lamps around U.A. turned on. Momo was using her phone on the table to time them all on a set of practice problems that were sure to be on the exams. The timer sounded and the group let out a collective sigh. Momo was only exasperated because she had elaborated her response questions with enough information to fill the entire page. Her constant studying since the beginning of the year was paying off.

"Jirroooo, How would you even start with this question?"

Jiro began explaining as Momo decided to clean up the table. She brought the empty cups back to the kitchen and began washing them in the sink. Momo tried to do menial chores that she never got to do in her maid filled estate whenever she could. She liked feeling confident in her ability to take care of herself. That applied to studying, hero training, cleaning up after herself, and… being independent.

Recently she had been dependent on Jiro to talk out her feelings and that all started because of a connection with Todoroki that required them to be close at least once a day. The thought that she might be in danger if she spent even 24 hours away from him was terrifying. Would she really be able to be a normal person with such a bizarre condition plaguing her? Her breathing became labored. What if people found out? What would happen to the Yaoyorozu name if people thought she was just messing around with boys instead of training to become a hero? Her mother's face flashed in her mind as it sneered and mouthed the word _disgusting. _Momo put her hands on her stomach. She felt sick and couldn't control her breathing. Everything was hitting her all at once. Her vision started to spin.

"Momo, Momo! Hey snap out of it, what's wrong?"

She was looking at Jiro's concerned expression. They were both still in the kitchen where Momo had been cleaning the cups in the sink. She shook herself out of her negative thoughts while ignoring the sick feeling that lingered.

"I-I'm fine. Just a bit tired i suppose haha."

Jiro could tell she was a bit off but before she could respond they were distracted by a mischievous giggle. They both froze. The sound was something like a gremlin in a horror film stalking its prey. Their heads slowly swiveled to the table in the corner of the room. Mina was smiling creepily with a cell phone in hand. They already knew what that sound meant.

Mina had once played a prank on some upperclassmen who had tried to intimidate Momo because of her family name in the beginning of the year. Momo had just begun talking to Jiro then and when they heard about Mina had done for her sake, they immediately went to thank her. Mina told her side of the story in which she slimed the two girls shoes and school bags to such an extent that it took them hours to pick them up off the ground. Momo didn't necessarily approve of such behavior but saw that Mina meant well. Just as she was about to shake her hand, Mina ended her story with a sinister, chilling giggle.

Momo and Jiro hadn't heard that sound until this very day. They had passed it off a misunderstanding as their impression of Mina as a silly pink airhead began to sink in. She joined their inseparable friend group and everything seemed perfectly normal. Little did they know that Mina's inner demon was lying dormant just like Jiro's had. Mina's eyes flashed towards the kitchen, her horns much more noticeable than usual through her curly pink hair.

"Hey guys… we're best friends riiiight?"

Momo and Jiro immediately shook their heads up and down.

"And we trust each other completely **riiiight**?"

More vigorous nodding. Mina stood up with the phone in hand. Momo realized it was her own phone… and then it hit her.

"So would you guys would tell me if you were dating someone right? I mean I'm just wondering since I'm pretty sure Momo just got a text from… **SHOTO,** I repeat, **S-H-O-T-O… **saying to meet with him in their _usual spot_ at 7:30."

Jiro's panicked face turned to Momo who was simply at a loss for words.

**Uh-Oh**

"By any chance you guys did withhold any information from me, **your dear friend?** I decided some retribution was in order. I answered the text myself in the most amusing way possible. I do hope you have a lovely time tonight…"

Mina had maintained a frighteningly cool facade during this exchange but her emotions began to slip out as her eyes watered.

"I can't believe you guys didn't tell me anything! Jiro told me over and over to mind my own business and I did! But you guys really didn't…. MEANIE MEANIE MEANIE BUTT FACES!"

Mina dropped Momo's phone on a nearby couch and dashed out of the room. Momo and jiro were left open mouthed with shadows over their eyes. They were trying to fully understand what in the world had just happened to their good natured friend. Jiro was the first to react.

"I'm gonna go after her and try to help her understand the situation. You think it would be ok if I told her the gist of your connection with Todoroki? I think she'll understand why we didn't say anything when she hears about. Momo, don't feel down about this I'll be sure to bring back our Mina chan."

Momo nodded and Jiro began jogging to the staircase Mina had run into, but she stopped and turned slowly.

"I'll take care of Mina but… I hope you can deal with whatever she texted Todoroki. Good luck with that pretty lady."

She left the room and Momo let out a deep sigh. She didn't mean to harbor any secrets it's just that nature of them were so ludicrous that it was hard to talk about. Jiro would help communicate that to Mina. The sick feeling in stomach turned to worry as she made her way to the couch with her phone on it. A response popped up on the lock screen as she grabbed her phone.

_Shoto: If that's how you feel than let's discuss it when we meet tonight._

It was a simple reply. She got her hopes up that Mina hadn't written anything to absurd in her message. Momo opened the messenger chat and clicked on _Shoto_.

_Shoto: Let's meet tonight at 7:30 at the usual spot to continue our conservation like I promised_.

_Momo:_ _The usual spot? Then I hope you're ready. I've been holding something deep inside me that can't wait to be unleashed. You've teased me more than enough my prince. I want you to give me __**everything. **_

The body of Yaoyorozu Momo stood lifeless as her soul emerged in the spitting image of the famous painting _The Scream. _An unearthly moan escaped her ghastly mouth. It was true that she hadn't told Mina everything that was going on but… this was just cruel. The humiliation of that single message almost erased her from existence. She begrudgingly returned to her corporeal body. The way… Shoto, had responded made her grateful for his ignorance of romance. He probably just assumed she also had a secret to tell him. Momo nodded to convince herself of this alternative. Anything was better than the obvious interpretation of the message.

She reeled in her thoughts and saw that there was only 10 minutes until their meeting. Momo collected her study materials and left them in the corner of the table to grab when she came back. As she made her way out the sliding glass doors of the dorm, thoughts of Todoroki filled her head. He had promised to tell her something that he didn't talk about with anyone. She was feeling a mix of anticipation and dread. Maybe what he was going to tell her could lead to them understanding the mystery of their condition. It was something extremely personal, she knew that for sure.

The cobblestone U.A. path led her through the dimly lit campus. Somehow this path had led to several dramatic confrontations with Todoroki, starting at the edge of the boys dorm. It felt like a month ago that had happened but not even a week had passed. All the experiences she had seemed exponential since she had seen Todorok's visions and felt his emotions everyday. Everything happening around her was hard to comprehend and the sick feeling she had from earlier settled into her stomach. She just wanted to talk to Todoroki; being around him had always helped her feel more relaxed than she could have imagined.

Momo approached the spherical greenhouse. Inside was the same plant life as usual but illuminated by LED lights that ran along the ground around the rows of plants and along the middle path. The stars in the sky were clearly visible through the curved glass of the structure. Todoroki was sitting in his usual spot, looking towards her as she arrived. She took her place on the bench next to him as he reached for something. He pulled a silver thermos from his side and unscrewed the lid. The familiar smell of Todoroki's favorite tea filled the air. The lid of the thermos separated into two cups and he offered one to her.

"I didn't want to risk falling asleep away from the dorm, and I figured tea would be nice for the both of us."

Momo smiled at his honest statement while the aroma that reminded her of Todoroki's room calmed her down. She was gazing at his face as he was about to pour tea into her cup.

"So what did you want to say before I start? Something about you having something deep inside you? Are you feeling OK?"

She thanked everything holy for his complete social ignorance at that moment. She managed a chuckle to hide her embarrassment. Todoroki finished pouring her cup before she continued.

"Yes I'm feeling just fine. That message was just a little prank Mina played on me. You see, I hadn't told her much about what's happening to us and she got the wrong idea from the text you sent. She thought that I was… in a relationship with you and hadn't told her about it. Obviously the situation is much more complicated."

Momo looked down at the steaming cup in her hands. Her thoughts were scattered as she thought of the pained expression on Mina's face. She was wrong not to trust her with the full story. Her alien friend was just as important to her as Jiro and even if she was a bit loose lipped regarding gossip, she trusted her enough now to tell her everything.

"If it makes you feel better, I hadn't told anyone about our condition until today. It was a mistake, and Bakugo was hurt because of it."

His eyes sharpened with regret as he looked towards the ground.

"I talked to Midoriya, Lida, and Bakugou in the hospital like Recovery girl suggested. I suppose it was nice to open up about what's been happening between us."

Momo blushed at the thought of the other boys reacting to their condition. At least the boys he told were more serious and responsible than certain others in their class. The thought of a purple headed deviant caused her to shudder internally. Tordoroki paused for a moment and took a sip from his cup of tea. Momo did the same, waiting for him to continue.

"I promised earlier that I would tell you some things that I haven't spoken about to anyone. Memories from my past, and of my family…"

His expression hardened. The lighting in the greenhouse cast a shadow over his he leaned forward with his hands clasped around his cup. Momo had always wondered about this side of Todoroki that he had always kept hidden. Ever since getting to know him his family has been a topic he resolutely avoided. She took another sip from her cup.

"You saw the image of a man when you experienced my fight with Bakugo. I'm sure you also remember the feeling of hatred that came along with it. That man was my father, Endeavor, and the feeling I felt then is the hatred I've always felt towards him."

His face was angled down so his hair hid his eyes from sight. Momo could feel the tension in his voice as he tried to remain calm.

"Growing up, I endured my fathers 'training'. I was alienated from my siblings because my quirk was the ideal creation that my father wanted. I was _created _to fulfill his dream, that's what he always told me. Every day after I could barely move, that was the explanation he gave me. But I knew I could survive, even if my father used me like a tool. I could survive because I had my mother. For every horrible thing my father told me, my mother would tell me something she loved about me."

Momo didn't have any words to respond. She was frozen in place listening to his heartbreaking story. His grip tightened around the metallic cup in his hand.

"My mother was like an angel. She was the kindest person I had ever known… But he changed her. My father's mental and verbal abuse was constant. He never let her have a moment to breath. Everything came down to making me into the hero that could defeat All Might. Her kindness became strained. I think she began to think of me as less of a son and more of a being that she needed to train. One day, I saw fear in my mother's eyes. She looked at me the way she looked at my father… and she reacted. My scar doesn't hurt anymore, but knowing that my mother was abused to the point where she would hurt her own child…"

Tears filled her eyes as she saw his hands begin to shake. She had no idea that his upbringing had been so awful. Suddenly everything about who he was made sense. He was a truly honest and good person who's view of love and emotion had become completely dismantled. His whole world must have crumbled after his own mother did something like that.

"My mother is in a mental care facility and my father refuses to let her come back home. Even after everything he did to her he still acts like a person who deserves to be a hero. This part of me that uses his flame quirk, I truly hate… I hate...I hate…"

The cup of tea in his hand splattered across the floor. His breathing intensified and the sound from his wrist indicated that a sedative had just been administered through his bracelet. Momo immediately embraced him from the side as tears flowed down her face. She spoke between her sobbing, unable to control her empathy for the boy at her side.

"Shoto please stop, It's okay. Just breath, everything is going to be okay."

She laid her head on his shoulder and gripped the other with both hands. Todoroki's breathing eased up slowly as he lifted his head up. He had been close to losing himself in his anger again. Momo was quietly crying into his shirt when Todoroki regained enough composure to speak.

"Momo… please don't cry. I would have lost to my anger if you hadn't helped me. Thank you. "

She shook her on his shoulder.

"No, thank you Shoto."

She lifted her head to meet his eyes. The tears had stopped but her face was still damp with tears.

"Thank you for telling me about your past. I know it must have been hard. I'm so sorry you had to live through that."

Her eyes conveyed the overwhelming sadness she felt in her heart after hearing his story. Todoroki held her warm gaze for a moment that seemed to never end. His face softened as he brought a hand to her face. With a gentle touch he brushed away the dampness from her face. Momo couldn't look away from him.

"Well I'm sorry for making you cry. I don't like seeing someone I care about cry because of me."

His hand returned to his side as he stood up and knelt to pick up the two cups of tea that had dropped to the floor. She watched his every movement. Her gaze followed every feature of his face. Hearing him say such simple thing didn't make her flustered, instead it evoked a much stronger feeling from within her chest. The satisfaction she felt spread to her face and brought with it a truly genuine smile.

"Shoto…"

He had just finished collecting his thermos when he turned to her.

"I care about you too."

She spoke with the poise and confidence of someone who lived up to the family name, Yaoyorozu. Todoroki's expression was surprisingly flustered as she continued to smile at him.

"W-We should head back it's almost curfew."

He walked forward a bit and turned to wait for her but he kept his face turned away from her. Momo couldn't help but giggle internally at his apparent embarrassment. She couldn't blame him for feeling a bit off after talking about his close kept secrets. Still, seeing Todoroki embarrassed definitely made up for making her cry. She followed closely beside Todoroki as they left the greenhouse.

They made the familiar walk back to the dorms from their meeting spot in complete silence. Momo was too lost in her thoughts to speak and Todoroki still seemed a bit flustered. She was trying to rationalize with herself that she hadn't **really **confessed her feelings. He said he cared for and she simply said the same. She cared for Jiro and Mina… but she knew that the way she cared for Todoroki was different. The question was, did he know what he meant when he said those words? The thought stuck in her mind until the girls dorm was within view.

"Momo..."

She took several seconds to register he had spoken and then turned to him with a jolt.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"..."

He looked like he wanted to say something but then looked to the ground. He had stopped walking and was failing to maintain eye contact as he spoke.

"You know how I mentioned that I spoke with Bakugo, Lida and Midoriya about our connection? Well after speaking with them, they helped me realize something. I think I need to tell you about it now."

Momo could only stand still and listen.

"When I told them about our meetings, they asked how you felt about it. I told them that you were willing to help and that I was extremely thankful for that. Then they asked how I felt about having this connection with you… and at first I could only mention my feelings of guilt for having involved you in the first place. Then Midoriya asked me something… he asked what I would do if you were hiding your true feelings about the whole situation? What if you were acting out of kindness but couldn't bear the weight of this burden for a second longer? "

His embarrassment turned to resolution as he finally met Momo's gaze and spoke,

"I felt something that truly scared me in that moment. When I thought about you hiding your pain behind a smile… I… couldn't stand it."

He moved closer to her, so close that Momo's face blushed immediately.

"What I realized then was that I want to protect you more than anything. I don't want you to feel scared or sad, and I don't want to see you cry unless you're laughing too hard."

He closed the distance between them and gently embraced her.

"I don't want you to feel burdened Momo, please tell me whenever you need me to help. I'll be right by your side."

Momo's eyes widened as she felt his warmth around her. Everything else faded away around her. She raised her arms and held on to Todoroki's firmly built back. For all the times she had comforted him, Todoroki had found a way to repay her with a single action. Any feeling of worry that had been lingering within her disappeared. She smiled as her head leaned against his, all the while wishing this feeling could last even longer. Eventually Todoroki pulled himself away with an adorably flushed expression on his face. Momo truly appreciated his desire to help her, but there was something she had to say.

"I think you may have forgotten Shoto, but I told you that night in your room that I'm a hero. That means I help people who need it. I swear to you that if I ever feel overwhelmed about all this then I will tell you, but remember something,"

She took hold of his left hand as she spoke.

"I'm helping you because I'm a hero, but I'm also helping you because I care about you. Please don't think I feel uncomfortable around you or that I don't like our daily meetings because… that's not the case."

"I'm glad, I feel the same way."

"..."

_"Do you?"_

She let go of his hand and nodded to him with a small smile.

"Goodnight, Shoto. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Momo"

She headed down the path towards the girls dorm but turned halfway to watch Todoroki until he was out of sight.


	12. The Real Thing

The sunday before midterm week was cram time for the students of U.A. Everyone continued their studying in preparation for their first academic benchmark for the year. Class 1-A still had three days until their written exams but that didn't stop the usual study groups from forming around campus. Momo and the class 1-A girls were no exception as they grouped around a circular table in the U.A. library. Momo glanced over at Mina in the seat next to her. She looked back with a sly grin and then went back to fighting her arch nemesis: math.

The previous night had threatened the tight bond between Mina and her two closest friends but after a thorough explanation from Jiro, she saw things in a different light. Jiro took about an hour explaining how Momo had not meant to betray her and that the strange situation she was in required some confidentiality. Mina couldn't deny that she was a gossip guru but her feelings were still hurt that she hadn't been told. Finally Jiro offered a peace treaty with specific terms to get their pink alien friend to forgive them. Mina would have exclusive rights to tease Momo on anything to do regarding the ice prince of U.A. but only when it was just the three of them. After adding an amendment to the treaty which allowed for side glances and raised eyebrows in public, Mina was more than happy to forgive her friends.

Now that peace had been restored, Momo was happier than ever, but the threat of constant embarrassment from Mina's lewd comments was something she would have to get used to. At least in their study group she was safe, especially with Mina staring at numbers like they were about to murder her. Momo smiled at the contentness she felt among friends. Her studies were going perfectly and she could feel joy whenever she helped one of the girls with a problem. This was what she wanted out of her life as a student. The thoughts that kept her up late last night were not.

She'd quite literally run into an impasse on the U.A. Trail one night and now it threatened to derail her entirely. She was just barely hanging on with all the chaos surrounding her condition but coupled with her growing feelings… it was just too much. She had told herself over and over that these feelings could not interfere with goals. It was hard even for her to decipher her feelings towards Todoroki, but in the process she remembered something her mother told her after she was accepted to U.A.

One of the few times her mother spoke candidly to her about her personal life was about how she married into the Yaoyorozu family. Her mother had come from a respectable family and she herself had managed to attend U.A. for hero training. While in her third year, her parents came to see her with an exciting proposal. The prestigious Yaoyorozu family had a son who was five years older than her and was working as a pro hero. He was single and not interested in dating so his family had set up an arranged marriage with another elite family. Her mother had been completely against the idea and flat out refused her parents. Eventually she agreed to have a single meeting with the man in question just to be rid of him for good.

She listened to the man's story and felt little to nothing. Throughout her life, romance was of little importance compared to her future career as a hero. She explained her thoughts on their arrangement and told him that she respectfully declined. She recalled him smiling and laughing then. He said that he admired people like her who put hero work above all else, just like him. He offered her a job as a sidekick at his effluent hero agency on the spot. Momo thought about smile on her mother's face as she described the next two years she spent doing hero work and fighting beside the man whom she had once rejected.

When she became successful enough to start her own agency she had dinner with him to thank him for his mentorship. When she told him of her plans for the future he warmly congratulated her. She had worked hard to make her name known in the hero industry and it paid off greatly. Her career was progressing exactly as she had envisioned. Only one thing had changed. Her mother remembered the exact words she spoke boldly at the time.

"I still want to be the hero I've always dreamed of, but I know now that I want to do so with you by my side."

Her mother laughed as she described the embarrassment on her future husband's face after she spoke those words. Their love had grown slowly over time, even after an awkward first encounter. It had all started from there, and six months after her proposal, they were married. Together they took the family name Yaoyorozu to new heights and created one of the largest hero enterprises Japan had ever seen.

Her mother told her this story with the hope of sending her a message. She promised Momo that she would never be forced into an arranged marriage.

"I want the world for you my dear, and I just hope you will take the time to find what makes you happy. Just as I did."

Her words resonated in Momo that night. Maybe this is what her mother had meant for her to understand about life and love. That fleeting emotions can be misleading and that time was needed to understand one's true path to happiness. Momo would usually never let her emotions interfere with her life this much, but they were brought about by extraordinary circumstances beyond her control. Jiro told her the very night that she heard about her condition that she shouldn't let uncontrollable forces shape her feelings. Her mother was right in that time was what she needed was time to understand what she really felt.

A sudden kick to her leg ripped her from her thoughts. She looked over and saw Mina getting a bit of revenge with a suggestive glance as a group of boys from their class took a table nearby. Lida, Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki all sat down and began taking out studying materials. Momo was surprised to see Todoroki with a group considering his aloof personality but then she remembered how the people in that group had all been caught up in their connection. She was glad that the boys had understood Todoroki didn't have control when he attacked Bakugo. It looked like the group was getting along well and Momo couldn't help but smile.

"Uraraka what's up with you? *Ribbit* You were doing just fine."

The girls looked towards a flustered gravity girl who was struggling to hold her pencil.

"N-N-N-Nothing! I'm j-just excited we're almost done with m-m-midterms"

"Uraraka chan, it's okay *ribbit*. We all know it's because Midoriya's right over there."

"AH! ...n-no way…"

The girls all giggled at her cute blushing face. The air changed from quiet focused studying to bubbly gossip in an instant. Jiro could feel a pair of knowing alien eyes on her.

**Great.**

Momo knew Mina wouldn't say anything directly about Todoroki but she felt an internal alarm warning her to do something. She would prefer to excuse herself from the group for a bit but it didn't look like there would an opportunity anytime soon-

*_buzz *buzz_

She felt a vibration from her school bag against her leg. She leaned down to quickly check the message and saw that it was from… she really needed to change that contact info for protection against gossip.

_Shoto_: _Could you do me a favor and come over to our table for a moment?_

As strange as it was to receive a text like this from Todoroki, it was her chance to slip from the group for a moment. She looked towards jiro and whispered that she'd be back soon. While the girls were busy teasing Uraraka she quietly headed towards the boys table. As she approached, she noticed Lida and Midoriya were watching her with flustered expressions. When she grew near they each quickly avoided her gaze by looking at their notes. Momo sighed internally knowing that she was relying on these boys to keep her secret. She stood next to Todoroki who remained seated.

"Sorry to bother you Yaoyorozu but I wanted you to confirm that our connection is indeed real. Bakugo wouldn't have any of it unless he heard it from you."

She looked to the explosion hero and was met with an icy cold gaze. She should have figured that he of all people would question something that sounded so propsposterous. While she didn't particularly like Bakugo, she wanted to make sure he understood that what happened between him and Todoroki was an uncontrollable mishap.

"Bakugo, I can assure you that Todoroki is telling the truth. This connection we have is an anomaly that allows me to experience things from his point of view. Because of that I say for sure that he lost control of himself when you provoked him."

The group of boys stared at her as if expecting a final statement.

"...and yes we have to kiss because of it but it's not like what you're thinking."

Midoriya and Lida could barely contain their embarrassment as they hid their faces in their notebooks. Bakugo's expression didn't even budge as he looked at Todoroki.

"Since it seems like you're telling the truth I'll agree to keep your condition a secret, on one condition. We're gonna be sparing a lot more from now on. All I have to do is keep my mouth shut and you won't go berserk right? Things won't go the same as last time I can promise you that- Oi!"

Todoroki turned unbothered towards Momo before Bakugo even finished which angered him even more.

"Sorry about this M- Yaoyorozu, I'll make sure they keep this secret.

Momo nodded and then looked at her male classmates. The embarrassed looks hadn't disappeared one bit and Bakugo kept glaring at Todoroki to no end. It didn't look like any of them could hold themselves to secrecy even if they tried. She suddenly got an idea.

"Lida, as your Vice President, I hold you to a higher moral echelon than the rest of the class. I'm sure I can count on your discretion."

She knew by appealing to she could win him over. His expression turned serious as he assumed the role of class president and firmly nodded. She ignored Bakugo who would most definitely be satisfied with sparring with Todoroki.

"Midoriya, is there anything we can do to make it easier for you to keep this secret?"

"... well I kind of have a secret of my own so I understand what you're going through. I'll definitely keep your secret Yaoyorozu-San!"

"Secret?... No offense but I think everyone in the class can see your giant crush on Uraraka."

The color of Midoriyama's face began to resemble a ripe tomato.

"N-N-NO NO T-T-THATS NO NO AHHH!"

He was clearly at a loss and had managed to draw the attention of the girls table with his loud panicking. Momo decided on a quick solution to both problems.

"Since I know I can count on you now, how bout you boys all join the girls for some studying? I think we can all benefit from sharing notes and the girls are a bit distracted at the moment. I'll go ask them."

The boys nodded to Momo and she headed back to the girls table where everyone was eyeing her. Clearly the topic of gossip hadn't been dropped. Before Mina could make any suggestive comments she spoke up.

"Girls would it be all right if the boys group joined us? They can definitely help with studying."

The girls, minus Jiro and Uraraka, all looked at each other before erupting into a fit of giggles. Jiro couldn't be bothered but Uraraka' face matched the shade of Midoriya's from earlier. They all agreed it would be "interesting" so Momo waved to the boys to come over. She took her seat in front of their wide circular table wondering if any studying would actually be done.

Before the boys reached the table Mina converted the last of her studying brain power into a cheeky comment that was just within the bounds of her peace treaty with Momo.

"Hey girls, wouldn't you agree Todoroki is the most handsome boy in our class? I wonder if he's interested in anyone?"

Momo and Jiro shot her a disapproving look that was met with a dazzling smile of feigned innocence. Mina being the social butterfly she was made sure to greet Midoriya as he approached and led him to sit right next to Uraraka which got some more laughs from the girls. Lida and Bakugo sat in between Midoriya and Toru while Todoroki was-

"Yaoyorozu, do you mind if I sit here?"

Momo was caught off guard as she hadn't even seen him approach. He was gesturing towards the spot in between Jiro and her. Momo's words caught in her throat as she started overthinking his question. Thankfully, Jiro was able to play it cool.

"That'd be fine Todoroki. Grab a chair."

She smiled a bit too warmly at the boy who failed to notice her hidden aura of over protection. While the now mixed study group was busy with "studying", Todoroki sat beside the girl with whom his quirk had connected him too. Momo took a moment to breathe and remember her mother's words. She had a lot of time to figure out what made her happy, and big goals to reach. She planned to make the most of that time.

"So Todoroki, what are you focusing on for the written exam?"

He looked at his notes and pointed to a section on the ethics of hero work. Momo nodded.

"The laws around hero work are a bit confusing and with the wording of the questions on our tests it's even more so. The trick is to remember the fundamentals of the first quirk related amendment that was added to our constitution. Let me show you."

Momo drew a detailed diagram on Todoroki's paper showing how almost all the ethics problems they had in class could be traced back to that specific amendment. The answer then became much clearer after applying the amendment to the situation in question.

"This makes it so much easier to work out subjective problems about ethics. Use that amendment in your response and you're sure to do well."

Todoroki was clearly impressed by the diagram and by Momo's impressive teaching skills.

"Yaoyorozu… I would help you with something but I feel like you already have all the answers."

Momo glanced up at the profile of his face staring intently at the notes she had drawn for him.

Smooth white hair partially covered his face and the piercing red eye on his right side. She quickly avoided staring any longer.

"... I wish I did. But everyone has things they find hard to understand. If you want you could show me how you solve this trajectory equation."

"Don't you have the answer in your head already?"

"I might, but this will help us both for the test won't it?

Todoroki met her gaze with a small smile. He nodded and began to work out the equation. 20 minutes of problem solving went by in a flash. The connected pair turned studying into a relay race of exchanging notes and strategies. Everyone else in the group had been distracted by random gossip (thanks to Mina) but as everyone began to quiet down, they couldn't help but admire the efficiency of the pair. Even Jiro was captivated by how good of a team they made. Mina was practically foaming at the mouth but knew she had to hold herself back for her friend's sake. It was Uraraka who broke the silence and commented with a bright smile.

"Wow! You too are like a well oiled machine! I could mistake you two as a couple for sure haha."

Uraraka and the invisible Toru were the only people in the group unaware of the pairs condition which made her statement a bit awkward. The mixed reactions of uncertaintainty from group prompted the gravity hero to follow up.

"Oh come on, you guys don't see it? I don't mean to make assumptions but I just think you two look great together."

Those group struggled to respond and Jiro prepared to do something to quickly to change topics. Before she could, Todoroki spoke.

"I think I speak for the both of us when I say that our goal to be the best heroes possible comes before anything else. That's probably why we work well together."

Everyone in the group let out a sigh of relief and cheerfully agreed with Todoroki. Uraraka's question had turned into a good test of the boys confidentially. The tension in the room was gone and everything returned to normal. That is, except for Momo. Her mind became a battlefield of conflicting thoughts.

"_Those words, why did he have to use those words? The same as my mother... Why can't I give myself time? Is there something wrong with me? Is it okay for me to feel this way? Why can't everything go back to the way it was?" _

"R-Restroom"

Momo mumbled and quickly got up to leave the group. She didn't hear jiro asking her what was the matter or Todoroki saying her name. The stress was hitting her so hard she could barely think. She found her way to the water fountain between the men's and women's restrooms. There she drank the spouting water as if it were the fountain of youth, hoping to find some clarity through hydration. The cool water eased her body but her mind was still clouded in confusion.

"Momo…"

She turned to the sound of his voice, not expecting to hear her first name spoken by him here. Todoroki was looking at her with a concerned expression. He didn't move and stayed a good distance from her as he spoke.

"Is there… Can I do anything to help you?"

Momo saw the worry in his eyes. He had probably thought he did something to upset her. How could she help him understand?

"Not here…follow me"

She led him away from their classmates and towards the far end of the library. U.A.'s library was just as state of the art as it other facilities. While the rows of bookshelves seemed commonplace, the large white pods that lined the walls were not. the pods (trademark) stood about 2 meters high and sat 4 students in a row. Their purpose was for 4d interactive learning through instructional videos, historical hero fights and quirk assessment. Momo having spent a large portion of her time at U.A in the library knew about an underused function of the pods.

She led Todoroki to an empty pod and entered through the rectangular opening on its side. She sat in the furthest cushioned seat and Todoroki was still inclined to keep his distance by sitting on the opposing side. He was hesitant to ask anything of Momo and waited for her to tell him what she wanted. She paused for a moment before pressing a small blue button on the underside of the leg-less table in front of them.

A mechanical noise sounded through the pod as the table was raised from its hinges in the wall until it fit completely into the side entrance of the pod. It became completely dark for a moment before the entire half of the curved wall in front of them lit up with a stream of scenery. The horizon on the ocean, trees in a tropical jungle, fish surrounding a colorful coral reef.

Momo took the chance to watch his reaction which was sure enough, quite amusing. His mouth gaped open slightly at the completely immersive scenes in front of him. The sounds from the back of the pod created an artificial world for the students inside. He was left speechless by the initial shock of it.

"I found out about this by accident during our first week of school. My knee hit that blue button by accident and I almost had a heart attack. A faculty member told me later that this function is meant to create a safe place for a student to destress or nap.

She scoffed at the memory and Todoroki looked towards her. He was relieved that she seemed to be doing better.

"Do you have any requests Todoroki? Try to find a scene you like the most."

She pointed to his armrest where a button let him flip through the scenes the pod offered. He settled on an incredible view of the sunset from a tropical beach. The sound of waves slowly crashing filled the room and put both of them at ease. For a minute they each took in the view in complete silence. Momo could see that he was completely relaxed as she glanced at him. She was ready to .

"I should have come back to use these pods much earlier. I've been letting the stress of our condition get to me if I'm being honest. The things we've been through… I think it's making me feel things I shouldn't be."

The red line of the horizon against the blue of the ocean waves dropped from her vision as she looked down.

"My mother once told me good things come with time, and that happiness comes with experience. I'm lucky to have parents who found love in each other that has stayed strong until now. If I've learned anything from them, it's that the real thing is truly beautiful. It makes this sunset look like a pale imitation. I know that I will be a successful hero if I continue working hard, but if along the way I find my own stretch of sand, I want the view of the sunset to be real."

When she looked towards Todoroki, his eyes were hidden by his hair. His body leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. His hands intertwined into a fist under his chin. The sound of waves the only noise to be heard. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Todoroki are you…"

"Do you feel better Momo?"

"Sorry?"

"...Earlier you felt stressed and left the group, do you feel better?"

"Um, yes I suppose."

"Good, now I should tell you about more about what I heard from Recovery Girl at the hospital. She wants us to experiment with the timing of our connection. At the lockers it was three hours before our usual meeting and now it's currently 10 AM so that's four hours before our last connection. She wants us to find out what the minimum time before our connection can form again."

He spoke quickly and robotically, like the topic was a simple business transaction. Momo was confused by his sudden change. She hadn't seen him act like this since before she got to know him.

"Todoroki is something the matte-"

He rose quickly and moved next to her. Without hesitation he brought his lips to hers for the briefest of moments. The sound of their bracelets registering their connection had only just begun to chime when he stood up once again. Momo was hit with a series of images and emotions that she couldn't comprehend. The scenes in her mind were covered by a glossy fog obscuring her vision. The feelings she received were murky and indiscernible. She hadn't experienced anything like this with their connection before. Todoroki had already pressed the blue button on the side of the curved wall. The pod returned to its original state as the entrance opened. He took one step forward to exit when he turned his head slightly. Momo could only see the side of his mouth as he spoke with a bitter tone.

"Tomorrow before class let's meet at the greenhouse…The view from that wooden bench is much more real than this."

He left without even a glance back, leaving Momo to dwell on what had just transpired. She had gotten her worries off her chest, but the clouded feelings she had received still lingered in her heart. Momo quickly made for the door and as she did the pod beside her opened as well. Deku and Uraraka emerged from the opposing door with blushed faces. They saw Momo from the door and both immediately panicked. Uraraka tried to cover for them.

"M-M-M-Momo! T-This isn't what it- We were just s-studying!"

Momo hadn't even registered their presence. Thoughts swarmed in her head. She thought he could understand that her feelings were rushed and misplaced. She had simply communicated what she needed to be happy in the future. That everything that happened to her with Todoroki was uncontrollable and therefore her emotions were unfounded. So then why?

_Why did it feel so terrible for him to respond in kind?_

She looked around the library and found her classmates, but Todoroki was long gone.


	13. Hell Flame

{A/N: This chapter adds more to Todoroki's history that deviates from the canon of the original manga. Everything added is to set up the plot behind our pairs connection. Updates will be weekly from now on. Hope you enjoy!}

Recovery Girl has been a renowned medical professional in her field for almost half a century. She had seen the emergence of great heroes and evil villains that created a continuous stream of novelty medical mysteries revolving around quirks. Almost no one on earth had more knowledge and experience treating advanced quirk related diseases and conditions. She had even saved All Might from retiring immediately after his devastating abdominal injury. In all this time, there wasn't a medical case she couldn't crack given time. In her old age, a job nursing students would help her give back to future generations while allowing her a bit of respite. Little did she know that the greatest medical anomaly she had ever seen would be waiting for her there.

It was currently 3 a.m. inside the research facility attached to U.A.'s hospital. Numbers and graphs danced on the screen in front of the medical hero in her native habitat. Ever since the young son of Endeavor and the heir to the Yaoyorozu family had come to her with their bizarre condition, she had been working tirelessly on solving the mystery behind it. Tests from their DNA samples and data from their medical bracelets had been combined in any number of tests, graphs and data analysis to find an explanation for their connection.

Recovery girl leaned back in her chair. A week's worth of almost sleepless nights had proved futile. Whatever it was that was causing the connection seemed not to have any biological indicators at all. Both students were perfectly healthy except for their need for re-connection every 24 hours. She had to see it to believe it, but the problem itself appeared to metaphysical. A medical anomaly the likes of which have never been recorded.

She let out a deep sigh and turned to look at the calendar on the wall beside her. It was Wednesday, the day that young Todoroki would be able to speak to his father about his condition and hopefully find some answers. She stood up and grabbed a cigarette she kept for emergencies in her desk drawer. If he couldn't find some kind of explanation, extraordinary measures would have to be taken. Two elite, recommendation accepted students could not go through such an ordeal under the direct care of U.A. The fallback would be catastrophic for the school and faculty but mostly for the two involved. Any attention brought to their condition could ruin their reputation in the eyes of the media forever.

Recovery girl stepped into the night air and lit her cigarette. She was scared for those two, and for the affection she saw between them.

"To be young…"

She hoped that she could crack the case with new information from Endeavor. She shuddered at the thought of the alternative. Her resolve as U.A.'s Chief of surgery would not be broken as she headed inside for another sleepless night of research.

2 hours later

The sun hadn't even peaked from the horizon when Todoroki and Momo made their way to a discrete location along the U.A. Trail. The direction they headed was near the main exit of U.A's campus where Todoroki would be leaving to see Endeavor. His father had been on a long overseas mission for the Japanese government and this was the first time he was able to meet with him since the Sports Festival. Whether or not Endeavor had answers about the pair's condition remained to be seen.

Momo followed slightly behind Todoroki, unsure of how to speak to him after what had happened at the library. The last two days they spent experimenting with the timing of their quirk had been rough on her. They had found that the minimum time before their connection could be reestablished was about 4 hours.

The day before they had discovered this after kissing again after a span of 3 hours. Momo had immediately realized that their connection hadn't been activated. The feeling was just like the only other time she had kissed him for pure pleasure in the locker room. The momentary feeling of intimate physical touch caused Momo to catch her breath. But in the end, the result was nothing like that time. Todoroki immediately withdrew himself when he knew what he needed for their "experiment". _I'll take care of getting the results to Recovery Girl, and remember we're meeting very early tomorrow, _He had said. His monotone words cut into Momo like a knife but she refused to acknowledge the pain. _This is for the best, _she had told herself.

Walking behind him now, Momo struggled to find a sense of relief from their current situation. Todoroki was headed to find answers that would hopefully lead to their condition being resolved. They wouldn't worry about their condition every 24 hours. They could be free to leave campus and travel without needing to set up a meeting. They wouldn't have to see each other every day… They wouldn't have to talk… _Everything would be the way it was before. _She was putting the pieces together in her mind when Todoroki turned to her.

"This is far enough. I'll be sure to do everything I can to find a solution for us… and again I would like to apologize for involving you in all of this."

She looked at him and simply nodded. He hadn't met her eyes the entire way. They had arranged to meet in the morning so that Todoroki could have as much time to meet with his father before returning to campus. Everything had become so mechanical. The last two days had numbed down her emotions to the point where she didn't know which were real anymore. Just like the feelings she received from Todoroki ever since that day in the library, it was veiled in a mist of uncertainty.

He leaned into her, waiting for her permission. She closed her eyes and wondered if this would be the last time they would exchange through a kiss. She saw the same haze over her visions and felt the same stream of obscured feelings, but then she felt something else. Finally, after days void of emotional communication, she felt a hard impact within her. A strong, overbearing sadness consumed her, enough to bring tears to her eyes. Todoroki had finally met her eyes when they separated. She saw so many unsaid words in his eyes and she couldn't stop herself.

"Shoto y-!"

"I know."

She froze at his words. A look of understanding spread across his face.

"I know everything you want to say, that's the most useful thing about this condition we share. Let's talk more when I return with a cure. Hopefully then we will be able to actually voice what we have only been able to share through our connection."

He smiled for the first time in what seemed like ages. It was a smile burdened by apprehension and yet Momo's heart still leaped from her chest. Suddenly, the emotions in her heart didn't feel complicated at all. In all the chaos surrounding them, the fact that just seeing him smile again made her feel such a way… as if it was the most reassuring sight on Earth.

"Shoto, be safe. I'll be waiting."

He nodded to her and headed to the black luxury car that would take him to Endeavor's Hero agency. She stayed until the car drove past school grounds and out of sight. Momo put a hand to her chest. _Something real_…

Momo turned back down the U.A. trail with a small smile on her face. By the time she returned to her dorm, her pensive nature had already begun creating scenarios upon Todoroki's return. She made herself coffee while in a daze of thought. Along the way to class, she filled in Mina and Jiro on the current state of things. She hadn't told them much about the past few days so they were both glad to see her looking more cheerful. It was true. Momo felt much better than she had in the past couple of days. Although she was anxious about what would happen in the near future, she couldn't help but feel hopeful.

The morning passed with a series of intense reviews for their written exams the next day. Momo knew everything that Aizawa Sensei mentioned would be on the exam. She spent the time looking at her friends reactions and was proud to see Mina looking rather confident. The time she spent studying with her classmates was dear to her, especially studying with him…

A lapse in judgement led to rest her weary head on her desk while lost in thought. The early mornings of the past few days had taken their toll and Momo was quickly taken by exhaustion as her eyes closed.

_The forest of snow_.

Her surroundings seemed familiar and she realized that this was the third time she had seen this place. Her semi-lucid state allowed to remember the woman that she had seen before in the trees. What did this place have to do with her? Did this vision even mean anything? Momo walked quickly upon the icy path, glancing to the trees at either side looking for some clarity. All was quiet, until a slow rumbling sounded in the distance. Then a light on the horizon. Finally something new in the unchanging white forest. Momo started jogging towards the light in search of answers.

The air around her began to change slowly. The falling snow took on a grayish color and the noise in the distance grew louder. Her pace increased with her curiosity. The ground at her bare feet was wet with snow but Momo didn't feel the cold. The horizon became brighter. The mystery of this forest was closing in. The pungent smell in the air coupled with the gray snow now surrounding her brought her to a realization. The gray in the air was ash, and the bright light at the horizon was a towering wall of flames. She could make it out clearly, the billowing flames that were consuming the forest at an alarming rate. Momo stood in awe for a moment until she noticed something on the middle path between herself and the fire. A grayish figure stood imobile on the path; the snow melting around it quickly.

The hero within her caused Momo to sprint towards the human like figure that seemed to be in no rush to move to safety. From about 10 meters away, she saw the figure turn towards her. Long black hair was covered in patches by ash. Her face became visible even in the shadow of the fire. Momo stopped dead when she realized that the face of the figure belonged to her. She stared at her ashen self. Her own arm raised and pointed to her. Momo looked down.

White skin to match the color of snow. A dress spotted with ash. Glowing bright hair at the sides of her vision. The woman she was looking for; she was seeing the dream from her perspective. Momo felt an overwhelming heat from the fire as she stared back at her likeness. The other Momo had turned to wall of flames and spread her arms wide as if welcoming it. Looking at herself surrender to the flames caused a rise within her.

Her pale white feet leaped forward from the melting snow to stop the wall from consuming her own body. The heat of the flames felt diminished compared to the need to save her own skin. The snow-white woman's body began to feel chilled and when her hand was about to reach Momo's shoulder, a freezing sensation spread through her upper body. Momo felt as if her very touch could save herself from the flames. She desperately reached forward-

"Oi! Creation woman! Where the hell is that Half-assed bastard, I'm definitely going to score higher than him these tests! AH what the-

"Back the hell off Bakugo, why do you need to bother Momo about that? She's not his mother."

"Heh, there always together anyway so I'm damn sure she knows where he-"

"Oi, I think I overheard Midoriya say he's gonna wipe the floor with you on the exam tomorrow."

"You- WAIT WHAT!? DEKU!"

Momo opened her eyes Jiro by her side. She still hadn't fully awoken from that scene in the forest. It truly felt as if she had simply appeared in class after being lost in a cold place far away. Jiro leaned down to meet her eyes.

"Jeez Momo, You grade must really high in the class for Aizawa Sensei to let you doze off during the review. I'm not worried about your score in the slightest but I have to say some stuff he brought up scared me a bit for the test."

Momo struggled to come back to reality. She managed to let out a slight chuckle.

"You feel any better after your nap? I know you've been getting up early lately so I'm sure you needed it."

She took a moment to breath and assess herself. Her hands were her own and she felt more rested than she had in awhile. Ignoring her extremely realistic and unsettling dream, she was fine.

"I'm feeling better now, but I'm a bit dazed."

"I bet. You were out for a good two hours. Come on, it's almost lunch time. They're selling pork ramen today and we're not missing out, let's go!"

Jiro's enthusiasm helped Momo rid herself of her drowsiness. Before leaving the room she glanced to the empty desk next to hers. She knew thinking about it wouldn't help but she hoped to hear from Todoroki soon. The pair headed down to U.A.'s spacious cafeteria and grabbed a bowl of the notoriously delicious ramen. They took a seat together along with the girls of Class 1-A. Uraraka got the attention of the group.

"So everyone, do you feel ready for tomorrow? I feel like I did everything I could!"

Mina took the chance to change the subject to gossip because you know, it's Mina.

"I bet you did **a lot** of studying with Midoriya at the library when you went off together didn't you? Did you learn a lot from that **1 on 1 session? **

Uraraka produced a series of squeaking noises and would have floated to the ceiling if Tsuyu chan hadn't gripped her by her pant waist. She budded in to help her stuttering friend.

"Don't worry Uraraka chan. Mina is just trying to distract herself from test nerves *ribbit. Isn't that right Mina chan?"

Mina looked at her while smiling innocently until a torrent a tears spurted from her eyes all at once. The group giggled and comforted their pink friend with the fact that they had been studying together for awhile now. Jiro became the ring leader as she mounted her chair.

"Girls! We're all prepared for this! We've been graced with the tutelage of lady Yaoyorozu herself… How could we fail! Let's become heroes together!"

The group cheered loudly drawing the attention of other students but the group was busy laughing to notice. Momo took in the scene with appreciation. She truly loved the time she spent with her classmates. She felt a sense of belonging and happiness with them.

"Momo you better eat quick, it's so good when its hot."

Jiro spoke between mouthfuls of noodles. Momo looked down at her bowl of ramen. The fat from the pork was dancing in the thick yellow broth giving off an amazing aroma. She couldn't deny her taste buds any longer and reached in with her chopsticks. The firm noodles glided past her lips and the succulent taste of U.A.'s famous ramen dish satisfied her completely. She smiled warmly as she reached in for more. Momo felt lucky in that moment to be surrounded by good food and people with whom she trusted and shared goals. She was truly blessed.

She was about halfway done with her noodles when she noticed that the group had gotten quiet. What happened next confused her. She looked up to see the entire groups eyes on her. Did she have a noodle on her face? She swallowed her food and wondered why no one was saying anything. They all looked just as confused as she was but their clear concern for her was strange. What had happened to the riveting excitement from earlier? What was the problem?

Jiro suddenly slammed her hands into the table as she quickly stood up. She gripped Momo's forearm and suddenly pulled her from her seat at the edge of the table. Momo felt bewildered as Jiro quickly dragged her away from the curious eyes of the students in the cafeteria. They ended up in the restroom adjacent to the building where Jiro finally released her.

"Momo, did we do something? What happened?"

Her face was so hurt and worried. Momo was at a loss.

"What do you mean? You guys have done nothing but cheer me up today, why does everyone look so worried all of a sudden?"

Jiro looked at her for a moment and then hugged her tightly.

"How could I not be worried when you look like that Momo, I'm here for you."

Jiro's words made her look to the restroom mirror beside them. The face she saw was like a photo from some distant time. The emotions it reflected were not her own. Tears streamed all along her face, her eyes bloodshot. It was an expression of anguish and pain. The photo in front of her acted as a medium through which she received the feelings of another. Something had happened to cause this reaction. Something to do with an unknown connection between her and-

"Shoto…"

Earlier in the day

Todoroki Shoto was in an elevator heading to the top floor of the Endeavor Hero Agency. He felt sick whenever he saw the amount of people working diligently for his father. He had wondered how they could follow a person like him, but he knew that Endeavor hid his worst traits from the public. His family were the only people who knew the true extent of his vindictiveness.

Shoto had spent the last three hours waiting in the lobby of the building while his father held meetings with delegates of the Japanese government. His secretary had contacted Shoto last week arranging for him to come early, but apparently, an important matter had come up. He scoffed when he heard the secretary tell him, what else could he have expected. Endeavor was a man who acted for himself in every sense possible. On his worst days, Shoto even felt hatred towards himself as being who only existed to be used as a tool. He was now headed to seek the counsel of the man who treated him as such.

His hand formed a tight fist that tore the skin on his palms. He had to control his anger. The constant threat of losing control again scared him into clearing his head of excess thought. He was here to get answers about his quirk he had inherited and that it was it. Not only for himself but for the girl who he had involved in his mess. Shoto would deal with whatever he was faced with for both of their sakes.

The elevator reached the top floor of the glass highrise and Shoto stepped out into the oversized office that took up the entire floor. His hands remained clenched as he approached the man behind a desk at the end of the room. He calmed his breathing and focused on his mission. Endeavor saw him approach and rose from his desk.

"Shoto, the last time we spoke, you had finally unleashed your flames."

The boy stiffened at the sound of his voice, but he was already speaking about what Shoto needed to understand.

"You seemed confident in your decision to decide for yourself whether or not you would continue using your full power. That's part of why I let you walk off then. I wanted you to experience the weight of the power we each hold for yourself, just as I did."

Shoto was reeling. His father knew about this condition the whole time.

"I've heard you were hospitalized, but you seem fine now. I honestly figured the kindness of your mother's spirit would have caused you to break down completely after your flames matured. I'd like to hear your experience so far but first, let me tell you about what happened to me while I attend U.A."

"...What the… What the hell are you talking about? You know what's wrong with me?"

"...Listen Shoto, Nothing is wrong with you. You have a power with limitless potential. To become stronger, stronger than anyone, the quirk I had as a boy transformed when I reached your age. My need for power only grew more intense when I saw the potential in All Might. Then a certain incident occurred on U.A. grounds. It was kept completely secret from the media and ruled a training accident by U.A. themselves. You see Shoto, there's a reason my quirk is named "Hell Flame".

He moved towards his son who stood wide-eyed and shaken. He looked down from in front of him as he spoke.

"When the Hell Flame within me manifested its true power for the first time, I killed three of my classmates."

Shoto immediately felt sick and had to swallow back the bile that threatened to come up. Endeavor walked to the large glass wall that overlooked the city.

"They weren't burned by my flames like normal, in fact I didn't mean to harm anyone. That is, except for All Might. We were sparring and when he declared himself the winner I couldn't contain my rage. Three students held me back and nothing came of it. An hour later the same three students collapsed on their way to the dorms. By the time paramedics came, their organs had been burned to a crisp from the inside out."

Shoto looked to his father, who was so calmly describing this horrible tale without a shred of sadness.

"This quirk, Hell Flame; it can feed on anger and hatred for power. When I saw what I could do to a person who had simply laid a hand on my skin, I realized something. Their deaths were not in vain. Even in death, I felt a connection to those who had been sacrificed for my benefit. I thanked those three boys for showing me that my quirk is the strongest. That I have the right to rule over all other heroes. That people should look towards me as the true power in this nation…"

Shoto was frozen in fear. He couldn't even react when Endeavor stood by him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"When All Might took my crown away from me, I was devastated. I spent a decade trying to surpass him and to no avail. Then, you were born: My dream perfected."

He noticed the boy shuddering under his touch.

"I know it's hard at first, but you learn the true value of life when you take one for yourself. You seem better than I thought you'd be. Your mother was weak physically and mentally and I feared you would take on those traits. I'm glad to see my worries were for not. With just her quirk 'Gentle Freeze' to regulate the temperature of 'Hell Flame' , your power is truly limitless. Now, I take it your experience was similar to mine. Tell me Shoto, how many people did your awakening kill."

Shoto's mental state had become unhinged. The things he had just heard couldn't possibly be true. There were so many differences in his story. What was the truth? If what his father had just said was true then-

"One."

"Only one huh, that's good then. There will be less to hide from the public and you will have learned the lesson I wanted you to understand. U.A. will do what it did for me, to protect its reputation. For now, you stay out of trouble and focus on using both of your quirks at once. Now that you've overcome your fear of your flames there will be nothing to hold you back from becoming the hero All Might wished he was. I trust you will meet my expectations. You're free to leave, send a message to my secretary if something else comes up."

Just like he turned away from him and took a seat behind his desk, as if he had just finished another meeting. Shoto's body wouldn't move. His mind and soul were screaming from the torment of his father's words. He needed to do something quickly. He wrenched his body from its place and somehow made it into the elevator before collapsing onto his hands and knees. All the hope he and Momo had shared this morning seemed lost. Everything he hated himself for being was now consuming his entire life, and the life of the one closest to him. He slammed his fists into the tile floor and let out a heart-wrenching scream.

"Momo, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry I…"

He bit his lower lip until it drew blood. He would not allow himself shed tears while she was still alive. But what could he do? According to what he had just heard, it was a miracle that Momo was still alive, but for how long? The few answers he'd gotten had led to even more questions. _Why was his awakening so different from his father's? Could he actually do anything to stop it? _He stepped out of the elevator glossy eyed and made his way to the car outside. He got in without a word. _What could he do to save her? If she died… how could he ever call himself a hero ever again?_

His thoughts led him to a sudden conclusion.

"_If she died it would be completely my fault, just like that monster…"_


	14. Hot and Cold

{ A/N: Well, I'm back everyone. I apologize for the long and unplanned hiatus. From now on I hope to publish a new chapter about every 2 weeks. I'm thankful to have so many interested readers! Now, I hope you continue to enjoy the story :) **Trigger warning:** If you suffer from panic attacks then be warned that some content in this chapter might be alarming for you.}

Yaoyorozu Momo was at war with herself. One part of her was happy and content with how well studying with her classmates had gone and how prepared she was for tomorrow's exam. The other part was slowly tearing down the walls of her carefree mood. She hadn't heard from Todoroki since that morning and the mystery of her condition grew ever more nebulous as time passed.

She had retired to her room early at 6 pm after a final review with Jiro and Mina. An hour had passed since then in which Momo had only managed to toss and turn in her bed. Her state of mind between preparedness and worry was a constant struggle. Momo released a series of disgruntled groans into her pillow. She thought back to the words of reassurance she had heard him speak that morning. He said that he knew what she wanted to say and that they would speak about it on his return. The sun had already set and there was no sign of his words being true. How long was he planning on making her stay up before their written exams?

Momo was too restless to sleep as she slowly stood up and headed to her window. The dimly lit U.A. campus sparkled dimly with the light of the stars, but something was off. Momo saw nothing out of place but the worrisome feeling wouldn't go away. Uncharacteristically, She quickly changed out of her nightgown and into a U.A tracksuit. After putting on her running shoes she left her room and headed down the staircase on the side of the dorm. Even though it was after curfew, Momo knew she needed to settle the stirring emotions within if she wanted to get any sleep that night. She began to walk along the cobblestone trail and took out her phone to call Todoroki once again. She wanted to get angry at him for returning to his old, aloof behavior but she honestly she just wanted to hear that he was alright. She continued down the path as the call went to voicemail once again. She sighed in frustration and called again as the path led her by the boy's dorm. As the monotonous ring of the call sounded, her eyes found the path leading to the entrance of the building. Momo stopped suddenly and dropped the phone away from her ear. She was confused, furious, and scared all at once as she marched to the down the path. There on the front steps of the dorm, like a dormant statue, was Todoroki. He sat forward with his hands clasped together, his face looking down at them and covered by his bangs. The light of the dorm reflecting the white of his hair was the only discerning feature of his dark form. Momo stood right before him but the distance between them seemed impossibly far.

"Shoto?"

His head jolted slightly but maintained his statuesque form. He still stared down as he spoke. A hoarse, ghostly voice came from his lips.

"Ya...Yaoyorozu? I-I was just about… to go see you…"

His voice wandered off and he remained frozen in place as if he didn't even realize she was really there. Momo grew fearful and got down on one knee to see his face. Her eyes widened as she saw the look of a dead man walking as if he were a shell of himself. As she grew nearer to place a hand on his shoulder Todoroki's eyes suddenly lit up as he realized this wasn't a dream at all. He stood up in an instant and turned his face away slightly to hide it from her once more.

"Momo… I… apologize for keeping you up so late. We… w-we should reform our connection now so that… we can focus on the exam tomorrow."

Momo was at a loss. She was glad he was alright but the person in front of her was so starkly different from the boy she sent off that morning. Gone was the confidence with which he had placed in their situation. Now all that remained was a dismal numbness on his face. He stepped forward towards her with the same vacant expression. He had kissed numerous times before that night, but never did he fail to even look her in the eye as if he was ashamed by what he was doing. Momo watched, terrified and angry as his body shook with every inch that closed between them. She couldn't bear to watch him any longer and gave him a hard shove against his shoulders pushing him back a step. Even that failed to make him raise his eyes towards her. Momo held back tears of frustration as she spoke.

"What happened to you today? What did you find out that's making you act like a completely different person? Are you… are you really not even going to look at me?"

Todoroki kept his head angled down and away from her, showing no sign of answering any of her questions. Momo felt somewhat sick seeing the boy she had so much faith and trust in not even give her a sign of acknowledgment. Her heart dropped in her chest, but she knew she needed to keep herself together. Tomorrow was an important day for both of them, and whatever Todoroki had found out that was clearly affecting him. She pushed the negative feelings surging through her away and focused on what she could do to help them both.

"Todoroki, For now, let's just reconnect. You can tell me about what you found out from your father later. We're taking our first big step towards graduating from U.A as heroes tomorrow so let's focus on that alright?"

Even though he didn't move a muscle, Momo could tell her words had a soothing effect on him. Whether it was a result of the connection between them or something else entirely, it felt completely natural for her to warmly embrace him. She felt his tense body relax in her arms as she provided as much comfort as she could to the clearly distraught Todoroki. She was nervous about what his sudden change meant for their situation, but for now, she was content with maintaining their status quo. She raised a hand to his cheek and quickly laid a kiss on his lips, just long enough for the familiar feeling of transference to occur.

Momo wasn't surprised to experience a nebulous darkness filter through her mind. This phenomenon wasn't new to her, but there was something different about the void. A singular feeling formed in the mist. There was something brewing within it, a chilling sensation that condensed within her. Suddenly, she felt as if a spear of ice had impaled her through the chest. The deathly experience caused her to stumble backward as a sharp scream of pain escaped her lips. She felt her chest to find her skin untouched by the dreadful feeling that had just coursed through her, but tears fell from her eyes just the same. She looked back to Todoroki in a panic.

"Shoto! What just-!"

Momo's voice ceased as did every other thought in her mind as she took in the sight before her. Todoroki stood with both hands pressed firmly over his mouth, his skin ghostly pale. His bloodshot eyes bulged as he stared through her. His sickly appearance was shocking but the way he looked at her; it made the icy pain through her chest seem pleasant. Momo couldn't find the words to speak as she saw tears flow down his quivering hands. He backed up slowly, the horror and disgust from his expression only grew stronger as if an apparition had suddenly appeared before him. Momo couldn't for the life of her understand his actions. That very same morning he was so sure that their situation would work out fine. Now, his eyes showed fear and terror from the bottom of his heart. She watched breathlessly as he stumbled backward, his hands stopping his fall as he fell back onto the steps. He barely managed to mumble "I'm sorry" under his breath as he turned away and sprinted through the glass doors of the dorm behind him.

It all happened in an instant, and Momo was left shell-shocked replaying the events in her mind again and again. The more she recalled what happened, the more hurt and confused she got. She had never seen him make such an expression. He was looking right at her the moment their kiss ended, with eyes that had seen the devil himself. Momo gripped at her aching heart at the thought of Todoroki seeing her in such a way. While it seemed as if he was truly fearful of her, she knew that something drastic must have happened for him to act like that. She reasoned with herself to stay calm and evaluate the situation calmly but it didn't stop the tears from flowing strong. She stood up, cold from the chilly air that stung against her damp face. None of it seemed real, for someone so reliable to be in such a state. None of it seemed real at all.

Yaoyorozu Momo was at war with herself, and this time, she was going to lose no matter what she did. With no clear answers to her burning question, she headed back to her dorm scared and alone. She felt like the void she had seen through Todoroki's mind; void and numb. The lights on the trail were here only guide in the world of shadow she found herself in. Nothing was clear, everything was a mystery, there was nothing for her to find. Her feet continued to move as her thoughts overwhelmed her. The void around her condensed into a thick mist that constricted her whole body. Her breathing became labored as she trudged onward, trying to fight off the darkness threatening to consume her. She saw something white in the distance, it called to her. Seeing something other than the endless darkness gave her the motivation to keep moving through the thick mist. Every step became arduous, but she got close enough to the white light to see it separate into two bright spots in the distance. While the world pushed down against her, the light was almost in reach.

Her salvation became her nightmare, as the lights came into full view. As her body stopped, they kept getting closer. The lights weren't lights at all, they were eyes. The eyes of the boy who meant so much to her, glaring at her like she was a monster in the darkness. Her legs began to shake under the fearful stare. All of her fears and insecurities surrounding her connection to Todoroki rose from the depths of her heart. The pair of eyes multiplied again and again. The world of darkness around her was now being dimly lit by the judgment and horror of those heterochromatic eyes. The weight of it all was too much to bear, as the darkness pushed against her so hard that her chest would no longer rise. She fell to her knees, unable to breathe as the world closed around her. The darkness sunk into her and enveloped her heart with an icy chill. Everything stopped.

* * *

The girl's dorm lobby was a buzz even after sunset with the girls of class 1-A finishing their preparations for tomorrow's written exam. Mina and Jiro loved Momo for everything that she was, but they each couldn't help but envy the power of her intelligence. What took them hours to memorize and understand took the Yaoyorozu heiress half the time at most. That being said, after their beloved friend turned in early for the night, they turned to each other with a look of recognition.

"Sooooo Jiro… down to the lobby for more studying with the common folk?"

"Yup, our queen may be fully prepared but another hour of review wouldn't hurt."

And so the pair spent time testing each other with flashcards and talking over topics with the other girls in the lobby. It was getting late when Jiro decided to call it for the night.

"Well, I think we've gone over every hero law and protocol that will be on the test. I think we'll all be fine as long as sensei doesn't throw us any curveball questions. Good job guys."

She smiled warmly at Tsuyu and Uraraka who had been a big help with going over the material. Jiro looked towards Mina who seemed to be in a trance-like state. She knocked softly on the top of her pink fluffy head to get her attention.

"Mina? You in there? I know you have trouble studying but I think you've done a great job getting up to speed. Mina… Helloooo."

Mina slowly but surely opened her eyes. The girls watched in half amazement and half disbelief as her entire persona seemed to change. She stood up slowly and turned towards the girls with a face as calm as Buddha himself. The aura she gave off was of someone who had found true enlightenment.

"Jiro, everyone, we have learned many things today. The knowledge we have gained is but a sample of what the world has to offer. We shall become heroes and venture out towards our destinies. But remember that the most important thing of all… is that…you get 2 points for writing your name on the test, so I won't be getting a zero."

Jiro held back a laugh as the pink-haired alien smiled calmly with her eyes closed, trying to eliminate her text anxiety through forced tranquility. While Mina acted hopelessly, Jiro knew how hard she had been working with her and Momo. She had full confidence in Mina to pass the exam, even if she had to act like a Buddhist monk to stop herself from being nervous. Jiro patted Mina on the back and smiled proudly. Uraraka stood up with a yawn as she collected her things.

"Ok girls! Let's ace this test! I'll see you bright and early!"

Everyone gave a cheer before getting ready to head to bed. Jiro and Mina were the only girls left in the lobby when Mina pulled on the back of Jiro's shirt, stopping her from heading to the elevators.

"Mina? What's up?"

"Ok serious question, do you think Momo would mind if we snuck into her room and slept there so we can study through osmosis?"

Jiro was truly unphased by this extremely Mina-like question. She sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"While that enormous bed is pretty comfy, I think it's best if we let our fair lady get a full night's rest. Don't worry Mina, you're more prepared than you think you are, I promise."

She patted her fluffy pink hair as Mina pouted cutely.

"Jirooooo, come on please? Just being within five feet of Momo is proven to raise your IQ levels by at least 10 points! Just think of how much better we'd d-"

A sudden mechanical noise from the sliding glass door caused the pair to turn their attention to it. It was too late for a student to be returning to the dorm and yet, from the darkness outside emerged their topic of conversation. They each stood rooted to the spot as the shadow of their best friend took a few steps into the lobby. Momo's skin was ghostly pale and the sound of her desperate breathing filled the room. Her outfit was soaked in sweat like she'd been running for hours. Her eyes slowly rolled to the back of her head as she was unable to catch her breath and she immediately collapsed onto the carpet floor. Mina and Jiro screamed Momo's name and rushed to her aid. Mina took Momo into her arms as Jiro quickly checked her friend's condition.

"Her pulse is weak… but she's still breathing. Momo can you hear me? We're here for you Momo you're going to just fine. Please give a sign if you're still there, please Momo don't scare me like this…"

They were both in shock and the only thing keeping their emotions in check was their diligent hero training. While they both remained relatively calm, tears fell onto Momo's pained face as Mina held her tightly. Jiro held in her tears but they clouded her eyes as she tried to get Momo conscious.

"Momo, Momo! Come on lady you can't scare us like this! Please open your eyes."

Slowly but surely, Momo regained consciousness as her eyes opened slowly. Mina immediately started crying her heart out into Momo's chest as Jiro grabbed the sides of her head to examine her further.

"Momo can you hear me? We're gonna get you to the hospital right now don't you worry ab-"

She stopped as Momo raised a hand to her cheek and smiled softly.

"No, that won't be necessary. I'm not… my health is alright. I just need to sleep."

Jiro took hold of the hand on her cheek and squeezed tightly in concern.

"Are you kidding me!? You just passed out right in front of us from overworking yourself or overstressing over everything that's been happening… It's not okay! I'll speak to Aizawa sensei about the exam, you shouldn't have to worry about that with the situation you're going through… Momo?"

Momo looked at her two best friends, but the gratitude she felt wasn't portrayed by her face. She had already let out all her tears and all that was left was a somber, yet determined expression. She separated herself Mina who hadn't stopped crying slimy tears but quieted down after seeing Momo's sad expression.

"I don't need to go to the hospital, I don't need more questions to answer about myself, and I don't need anything else to happen to me tonight. What I need… is to get to my bed and sleep. I need to take the exam tomorrow and I need to become a hero. But I don't… I don't want to feel the way I feel now anymore. I just want to sleep."

Jiro and Mina could only stare in silence at each other after hearing those quiet, defeated words. Rather than press her any further, they each took an arm over their shoulders and helped Momo to her room. They walked in silence as Jiro and Mina shot glances to each other over Momo's lowered head. Even with all of the drama surrounding Momo's situation with Todoroki, she had never gotten this bad before. Her body was weak and she could barely keep herself standing as they finally made it to Momo's dorm room. Jiro put on a smile and tried to help her any way she could.

"Let's get you into the shower okay? You'll feel much better once you're out of those dirty clothes. We'll grab your sleeping clothes and give them to you after. Just tell us if you need anything. We're here for you Momo…"

It was hard for Jiro to hide her concern as Momo nodded meekly and closed the bathroom door behind her. She turned on the shower water and stepped into the stream before it had time to heat up. As the cold water hit her skin, the only thing she could feel was the true coldness in her heart. She had never felt something so truly devastating, and even she could tell that it had little to due with an unknown connection and everything to do with her feelings for Todoroki. She felt like something had cracked inside her, and the cold water was flowing through it, doing little to ease her pain. It was the side of Todoroki that she had seen that night- cold, distant, fearful. It had made her feel as broken as the crack in her heart.

Then, the feeling changed. Suddenly there was warmth. The shower water that flowed down her skin was no different than it had been before. She was in the same shower at the same temperature that she always had it every morning. Even so, newfound tears began flowing once again. She brought her arms around herself and hugged tightly, desperately trying to hold on to the feeling. The warmth was so familiar, so reassuring. Momo realized what she was experiencing and brought a hand to her mouth to muffle the sounds of her tears. She had gotten used to it, the constant warmth he provided. It just took a hot shower to remind her numbed mind what Todoroki was really like on the inside. But the simple fact that a single night of seeing his dark side could do something like this to her… it was unacceptable. She experienced so many conflicting emotions at once that she could only stand let the water wash over her.

After a ten minute shower, she found her nightgown folded neatly for her on the sink. She emerged feeling too much to comprehend. Jiro and Mina sat anxiously on her oversized as she walked towards them.

"I'm… I'm really sorry that you both had to see me like that. It was unbecoming of me and I apologize."

She tried her best to stand straight and force down the emotions threatening to swallow her whole. Jiro shot up from the bed and grabbed a hold of Momo's shoulders.

"Don't apologize Momo, we just want to know that you're alright. I'm serious, if there's something you need to tell us then please do it. I really, really don't want that to happen to you again. We love you, you hear me? See? You practically broke Mina over there, she's been slobbering on her side of the bed this whole time."

Momo looked to find an almost slime form Mina looking up at her with concern.

"I think… I think that I need to get through these two days of testing and then I can open up about everything that's happened. To be honest, I'm just in the dark about my situation as you guys are. So for tonight, I'd just like if you guys kept me company. I'll be alright if I have the both of you to lean on."

Mina quickly returned to form at the sound of this proposition.

"Soooo, It's alright if we study through osmosis?"

Momo looked confused and then glanced at Jiro who had to laugh at Mina's airheadedness.

"Let's get you to bed Momo; we're all in need of a good night's sleep."

The trio of best friends slipped under the cozy sheets and soon found sleep in the comfort of Momo's king-size bed. That is, except for Momo herself. Her thoughts wouldn't quiet down and the feeling of a cracked heart wouldn't stop aching in her chest. She lay on her back, staring into the canopy above. As much as she wanted to focus on the next day, the only thing she could imagine was Todoroki's fearful eyes constantly staring at her. She shuddered as her chest started to tighten once more. As if on cue, Mina and Jiro both grabbed a hold of each side of her in their sleep. Momo looked down at her adorable friends as they snuggled into her. It was just the comfort she needed to calm down enough to let sleep overtake her.

Little did she know that within the next 48 hours, The feeling of comfort that she found then would be nowhere to be found when she needed it most.


	15. Who He Cares For Most

{A/N: After a long battle with writer's block and endless school work, I've finally finished up this next chapter. I apologize once again for the inconsistency but to make up for it, this is the longest chapter yet! In this chapter, we see the story from Todoroki's perspective after the night he panicked in front of Momo after visiting his father. Will he be able to make amends and finally get some real answers? Thank you in advance for everyone who's still reading my work and I hope you enjoy!}

Todoroki Shoto stared into the dark ceiling above him. His tranquil Japanese style bedroom always seemed to calm him down, but it did little to ease the turmoil in his heart. After seeing his father, and coming upon an awful truth about the power inside of him, he didn't know how to face her. He had sat on those dorm steps for hours, unable to move from the sickening feeling building inside of him. What could he say to her after dealing with this mess for so long? Not only had he made them both dependent on each other through their condition, but he had also put her life at serious risk. He was at a loss, and when she suddenly appeared in front of him that night, he panicked.

Todoroki grimaced and covered his face with his hands as he replayed the scene in his mind. Feeling their connection once again with the knowledge he now had made him feel so guilty that he nearly got sick on the spot. All of the moments he shared with her, everything that they had gotten to know about each other, everything that he felt: it had all been because of the curse he carried within him. The thought sent a chill down his spine. If he had never kissed her that night, what would she be to him? Would she even be a friend or just someone who was in his class? But one thought that stuck in his mind, especially after his actions that night. She would have been better off without ever getting involved with him. The sight of her face right before he ran away like a coward flashed in his mind. His heart sunk in his chest.

"Momo…"

He quickly sat up and held his head tightly, trying to stop his mind from thinking about everything all at once. It was too much to process and he needed to get enough sleep for tomorrow's exam. He laid back down after calming himself and thought of the happy place he had always held dear. He remembered it clear as day, the forest he walked through with his mother, snow-covered trees and a sharp chill on his nose. He saw his mother's reserved smile against the snowy backdrop and felt the kindness and warmth she had once given him. Shoto's exhausted mind was finally put at ease.

Morning came quickly as if he had just closed his eyes for a second. He rolled out of bed feeling the burden of guilt still weighing him down. He knew then that he couldn't let himself deal with this alone. Rather than dealing with this alone, the much wiser option would be to speak with Recovery girl right after the exam today. The only reason he didn't go to her immediately was because of his father's past influence. If nothing could be done about this power when his father attended U.A. then what could be done now?

Todoroki chuckled at how childish and immature he had been. He stepped into the bathroom for a quick shower to wake himself up. The lukewarm water helped relieve some of the tension in his body as he thought about the best course of action. After the test, he would go directly to Recovery girl and tell her every little detail and let her run every single test imaginable on his body. He knew some of the details about how lethal the hell flame quirk was from his father, but the quirk had manifested differently in him. The person he had inflicted with this curse could be kept alive through the same action that gave her the affliction in the first place. A kiss every 24 hours would prevent any symptoms from appearing. There had to be a reason that his power had awakened in a much less aggressive way than with his father, and hopefully, Recovery girl could use her extensive knowledge and expertise to find out why. There could even be a cure if he presents her with enough information.

Todoroki nodded his head to reassure himself that there was still hope and that they could even find a cure with time. He couldn't lose hope just yet, his life wasn't the only one at risk. He stopped the water and stepped out of the shower with a new focus. He would find any possible way to apologize to Momo for his actions last night. He needed to have her on his side when he went to speak with Recovery girl. If he explained everything that had happened to him, he was sure she could find it in her to forgive him at least for the day. He felt his bare chest at the thought of speaking with Momo once again. His heart raced from nervousness and dread but more than anything he just wanted to assuage her feelings. That would would have to wait a few hours as they both needed to focus on the exam that would begin their path to being professional heroes. He quickly changed into his school uniform and took a deep breath before leaving his room.

Todoroki arrived 30 minutes before class like he always did, and took his seat in the empty room. He looked towards the window to his left and saw the sunrise in the distance. It was a beautiful sight that greeted him almost every morning before class, but today, it seemed rather lacking. The colors weren't as bright and the room around him seemed just as dull. He quickly realized that this was all in his head, but he couldn't deny the terrible feeling he had that was affecting his view of the world around. He needed to deal with it quickly and speak to Momo as soon as possible. This exam wasn't nearly as worrisome. He had studied plenty and was confident, but the feeling still lingered in his stomach.

The class started to fill up as his classmates walked in with varying degrees of eagerness. Lida arrived soon after him and looked as radiantly upright as always, while most everyone else looked tired and nervous from a night of cramming. Normally, he didn't take notice of his classmates so acutely. He would spend the time before class staring outside because he couldn't really be bothered, but today he couldn't help but take notice his classmates more than usual. He wasn't close to anyone like he was with Momo, and it made him think of not having her with him at U.A. anymore. Somehow the idea of this class without her seemed unreal. He put a hand to his chest as a heavy chill spread over his heart.

He was never the type to be overly emotional; a childhood full of psychological trauma saw to that. His father's hellish training never failed to push all of his feelings deep inside of him. Focusing on his power while ignoring the emotions surging through him was the only way he could have possibly survived his childhood. Years and years of living under his father's first instilled in him the importance for power. If he was stronger than anyone else, then he wouldn't be a failure. He had to ignore what happened to his mother. He couldn't ever really feel those emotions. He had to suppress everything, ignore everything, and overcome everything in order to amount to anything.

All those years of torment, and the only thing Shoto remembered feeling was hatred. It was the only emotion he was allowed to show because of the power that it brought out of him. His father didn't care how he felt, nothing else mattered except for the results of his training. Getting into U.A., continuing his father's legacy at this school, aiming for the top- It was all according to his father's will. Hate had fueled his every action up to that point. Hate had been his entire life. It was the only thing he had ever profoundly felt. Then, he met her.

A motion at the door brought his attention to it as Momo entered the room followed closely by Jiro and Mina. The moment he saw her face, a shock of realization went through him. The weight on his chest suddenly lifted and his heartfelt light as a feather, like it had just beat for the first time. He had never understood this feeling, but it was there the whole time; Lying underneath the hate that had always fueled his heart. It was so clear to him that he stood up instantly, an expression of awe on his face. He saw her in a brand new light, someone who's cooperation and friendship he had taken for granted this entire time. He needed to tell her how he really felt.

While Todoroki's epiphany brought him to his feet, the immediate death stares from Jiro and Mina shocked him back to reality. He couldn't have had worse timing. He took another glance towards Momo and felt his stomach drop when he realized how uneasy and pale she looked. She wouldn't even meet his gaze as she approached her seat. He felt her best friends eyes on him still, burning holes into his face, so he had no choice but to sit back down and hold his tongue. Even if he did say something, how could he possibly explain himself to her? A few of his classmates noticed his strange behavior but were unaware of the dramatic situation unfolding around them.

Todoroki sat back down and tried to reason with himself. He could suddenly see how much he cared for Momo, but it didn't change the fact that last night happened. He was still scared of what he might still do to her; what his quirk could do to her. Did his feelings matter if all he did was put her in danger? This was all happening too fast but he wasn't entirely upset by it. He finally knew something definite about his relationship with Momo. It had taken a long time, but he was finally able to see his feelings for the girl who came to his rescue that one fateful night. He just needed to make sure that she didn't get hurt anymore because of what happened to her then. What brought them together couldn't be the thing that tore them apart, he would make sure of that.

Momo took her seat next to him and he could feel how painfully uncomfortable she was. She turned her body away from him as much as she could and looked his way in the slightest. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, regretting his actions from last night. There had to be something he could do to help her feel better. He didn't want her to have to take the exam while in such a terrible mood. Desperate, Todoroki reached into his backpack and quietly ripped a piece of paper from his notebook. The new feeling he had come to understand was now driving him to action. He felt liberated from the feeling of anger that had always plagued him. He wasn't thinking of revenge or redemption, he was thinking of Momo. His words were from the heart as he quickly wrote his message and folded it neatly.

_I'm sorry for everything. Thank you for showing me what the real thing truly means._

He quickly placed the note on the corner of her desk. Aizawa Sensei entered the room right as Momo saw noticed the note. He quickly began addressing the class on exam procedures while Todoroki glanced anxiously at her hands as she began to open it. He hoped his words would reach her but just as she was about fully open the paper she stopped and folded the note back up while placing it in her pocket. He was conflicted by her actions, but he was grateful that she hadn't torn up the note on the spot. He just hoped she was well enough to focus on the exam. She faced forward now, her profile fully visible to the aloof boy who had barely known her a month ago. He had no idea then that she would change his perspective entirely. That she would make him truly feel something other than hate. That she would become the person he was most fond of. That he would be in-

"All right students, This is your written exam. Don't be idiots, and remember what you've learned from your lectures."

His train of thought was interrupted by Aizawa sensei's very characteristic encouragement. He began passing back the exams and within the next minute, everyone had begun.

After 3 hours of testing, time was finally called and the class let out a collective sigh of relief. While most of the class used up the entire time working, Momo had finished 30 minutes before time and Todoroki soon after. It was brutal for him to sit in silence next to her for so long when all he wanted to do was tell her what he needed to say. As the class began packing up, he finally worked up the courage to face her. He looked at her profile as she reached down to pack her bag. She hadn't looked at him once and he couldn't blame her. He spoke softly towards her in the hope that she would hear him out.

"Momo, listen…"

Her entire body flinched at the sound of his voice, stopping her hand from moving. After a moment of hesitation, she quickly grabbed her bag and stood up to leave without acknowledging him. She stopped suddenly, and quickly placed the note he had made her back on his own desk. She didn't look at him, but he could see her conflicted expression clearly now. His lips opened in response, but nothing came out as he watched her turn around and leave the room swiftly. He didn't speak then because he knew he didn't have the right too after last night. He needed to make up for his actions but this wasn't the time or place. He sat in his seat for a while and collected himself. After the classroom had emptied, he collected his things and began to head for the hospital in order to speak with Recovery girl to hopefully get some answers. He didn't make it very far.

Upon opening the sliding door to classroom 1-A, he came face to face with a truly terrifying being: _Demon form-Kyoka Jiro_. His always neutral expression his intense stomach dropping fear that filled his body when he saw that face. Jiro stood not ready to attack him, but in a relaxed stance… with closed eyes and a wide toothless smile.

"Why hello there Todoroki, I was wondering if I could have a quick word?"

He stood there frozen in place while Jiro placed a hand on his shoulder with the grip of a pro wrestler. He ended up just staring at her in fear.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Without hesitation, the demon lord herself pushed Todoroki back into the empty classroom with enough force to make him stumble back. She slammed the sliding door shut behind her and quickly grabbed the collar of his uniform. He didn't resist, and simply looked into her eyes, seeing the pain and frustration she felt.

"I would have already knocked you senseless if Momo wasn't such a kind girl. She had to beg me not to do anything. Do you even know what you did to her yesterday?"

She teared up as she tried to find a good reason to hurt him, but all he could do was stand there. He met her wet eyes with a look of painful regret.

"You have every right to hit me Jiro, You've been a much better friend to her than I have. All I've done is get her involved in a mess she has no control over. Do what you need to do, I won't stop you."

Jiro cocked a fist back and was fully prepared to hit him as hard as she could, but she quickly realized that Todoroki understood the weight of his actions. With a frustrated grunt, she roughly let go of him and rested her hands on her sides while glaring at him.

"How are you going to fix this? You better have a good plan, I'm not letting anything else happen to her. She's such a good person, and she doesn't deserve to be caught up in this mess!"

"Jiro, I made a huge mistake last night. I let my emotions affect my judgment and I reacted in a terrible way that hurt Momo. I know that better than anyone, but right now I need to go to see Recovery girl and give her all the information I have. That's my plan, and I need you to help me. Please tell Momo that I've found new information about our connection and that she should head to the hospital as soon as possible. I know she doesn't want to see me right now but this is what's best for her. I'm trying my best to take responsibility for getting her involved with my condition. And…"

Jiro was initially impressed by the amount of words coming out of the reticent boy's mouth but more so by the care with which he used his words. He wasn't covering for himself, he was owning up to his mistake and trying to make the best out of the situation.

"Ok, so you're not as hopeless as I thought. And what?"

He paused, searching for the right words but it was easier to just say how he felt directly.

"Please tell Momo that I care for her, and I won't make a mistake like this again."

Jiro met his eyes and saw only honesty and confidence in his gaze. Jiro let out a heavy sigh and then turned towards the classroom door. She opened it with a chuckle and then turned back to Todoroki.

"You know, it's hard to hate you when you can say something like that with a straight face. I'll go along with your plan, but you're gonna be the one to say that last part to her. That is, after you save our princess of course. Now get going mister ice prince, make sure you stay true to your word. That's what true heroes do right?"

The pair shared a moment of understanding and Todoroki nodded firmly in affirmation. With Jiro's blessing, he hustled out of the class and headed straight to the hospital. He wasted no time as he practically sprinted along the U.A. trail and bolted through the hospital hallways. He burst through the elderly hero's office door to find her sitting by her desk unsurprised by his sudden arrival.

"Well now, It's about time you showed up you little devil. You could have at least called my office yesterday. Anyway, it looks like you're ready to talk now. Let's hear it."

"...I was ready to tell you everything… but I think I need to wait until Yaoyorozu arrives. I made a huge mistake by leaving her in the dark yesterday. I need to make sure she hears the whole story from me now. So, can you tell me if you've found anything on your end?"

Recovery girl stood up from her chair and motioned for Todoroki to take a seat. He did so as she made her way to the window behind her desk and stared out at the center of U.A.'s campus. She spoke with her back to him.

"You want her to hear the whole story? I may not have uncovered much, but the things that I didn't find led me on the right track to a horrifying conclusion. Your father caused something horrific at this school, and then it was covered up completely. I'm guessing he finally told you about it."

She turned back to face the young man whom she felt more worried about every day that passed.

"Will she be able to handle learning about what happened in the past? Would it not be better to keep things as they are and let me handle searching for a cure? Why would you make her worry unnecessarily?"

Recovery girl stared down the boy hoping to change his mind but he didn't waver in the slightest.

"I'm not sure what your perception of Yaoyorozu is, but I can tell you one thing for sure: she is strong. Not only could she handle this information but she has every right to hear about it from me. I don't want to keep anything from her any longer, not a single thing."

A smile formed on Recovery girl's wrinkled face as she gave Todoroki a warm look of approval.

"Ahhh youth! I just love to see it blossom like this… You've matured young man. Let's get another blood sample from you in the lab while we wait for miss Yaoyorozu to arrive. I have confidence that with your new information we should find a cure soon. And one more thing… Make sure you tell her _**all **_of the things you need to say. Don't make an old lady witness two young love birds who can't communicate properly any longer, its serious torture!"

Todoroki blushed at her bold words while she eyed him knowingly. He knew that his first priority was helping Momo, and that meant being honest about everything. He steadied himself and followed the elderly doctor to her lab with the strong hope that everything would work out.

_20 minutes later_

Much like that morning in class, Todoroki watched as Momo came into the room and couldn't take his eyes off of her. This time however, she was able to meet his gaze. She seemed scared but still approached his seat next to an array of medical devices. He tried to stand but she shook her head and stood by his side. He was confused for a moment, but she was just trying to work up the nerve to get over last night's encounter.

"I spoke with Jiro… she said I should trust you. I don't know what kind of magic trick you pulled to make her say that, but hearing that from her made me sure of the fact that you're still the same good person I know you to be. I'm sure there's a good reason for- S-Shoto?"

Todoroki had taken a hold of Momo's left hand and held it gently in his own. He looked at her blushed expression and felt a rush of newfound emotions. Above all, he felt grateful that Momo was willing to forgive him.

"I'm truly sorry for last night Momo. I ran away from you when I'm the person who got you involved in this. I can't thank you enough for hearing me out."

He looked into Momo eyes and let his emotions show on his face. His warm gentle smile made Momo blush even harder. He pulled her hand closer to him, his pulse quickening from the words on the tip of his tongue.

"Momo I-"

The mechanical noise of the lab door opening jolted the pair back apart and back to their senses as Recovery girl entered the room. She chuckled as walked towards them but a solemn expression remained on her face.

"As much as I would like to give you two more time alone, I fear that time is of the essence. Young Todoroki here has acquired some new information about his condition. Now that you're here dear, we're going to record everything he has to say and use it to find a cure. Sound good?"

Momo looked down at Todoroki who nodded to her. From the look in her eyes, he knew it was the right decision to tell her everything he had found about his power. She took a seat in the hospital chair near his and Recovery girl prepared a recording device and a pen and paper.

He started from the beginning. He told them how his father had discovered a strange evolution in his ability at the same age as he was now. That very same power caused the death of three students that was covered up by U.A. to save themselves from a P.R. nightmare. Endeavor was protected and became the second most notorious hero. Without letting his son know, he let him attend U.A. and eagerly awaited for his true power to mature. A process that he thought would rid his son of the weakness instilled by his mother. Instead, a connection was formed between himself and Momo. A connection that required a constant bond between the two, with fatal consequences. He hadn't spoken of this connection to his father, but Endeavor was already under the assumption that he had killed a single student at U.A. He recalled the cavalier attitude with which Endeavor treated taking the life of other people in order to gain power.

Todoroki paused as his fist clenched in anger. He felt so powerless against the quirk he was born with. The frustration of being unable to stop himself from hurting someone he cared about was too much to bear. Then, he felt a gentle touch against his hand. Momo was already at his side with tears on her cheeks. He thought that she was scared at first, that telling her everything had been a mistake after all. But he couldn't have been more wrong. He marveled at her infinite kindness as she warmly embraced him.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this, you deserve so much better Shoto."

Rather than fear for her own life, Momo was much more concerned with comforting him. Even though it was his fault, even though she was still in danger, she was there for him in spite of everything else. He pressed his face into the crook of her neck to hide his tear-filled eyes. He found blissful comfort in her arms, but the pair quickly separated before losing themselves in the moment. They were each blushing bright red and Todoroki readied himself for another teasing comment from Recovery girl. She wasn't even looking at the pair. She had stood up and moved to her desk where she sat down with head in her hands.

"Are… you alright Recovery girl?"

Todoroki spoke as he stood up from his chair and made his way in front of her desk. The elderly doctor heaved a big sigh and finally looked up.

"This… this is bigger than I thought it was. Your father has the complete backing of U.A. for him to be able to get away with such a crime. I would understand if it were an accident, but it seems your father relished in the act of stealing the lives of his fellow classmates. The way he treated you… I'm sorry you had to go through that young man, but there is a silver lining in this situation. Your power has matured much differently than your fathers did. You haven't taken a single life and the person you've affected with your power is still healthy."

She got up and rounded the table to place a hand on Todoroki's shoulder.

"You are not your father, and the proof is in how your power matured. There's a lot of research I need to look into but I can say that for sure that something about your ice abilities has changed how your powers grew. You should take pride in the fact that you and miss Yaoyorozu are still alive, and trust in me to find an answer quickly. You're much too young to have to deal with such hardships. It's my job as a doctor and as a senior hero to give you the best life possible. My biggest concern might actually be the politics at play surrounding your father's time at U.A., but that's something only I can deal with. For now, I'd like for you to return to your usual lives as students. Your wrist monitors will continue to monitor your activity and everything should be alright for now if you continue your routine of reconnecting. I promise to do everything in my power to help the both of you."

Both Todoroki and Momo nodded to each other with full confidence in Recovery girl. If there was anyone on the U.A. campus deserving of trust, it was her. After thanking her for her continued support, the pair made their way to the door of the lab when they were suddenly stopped by an outburst from the elderly hero.

"Oh! That's right, I was meaning to ask you two something. Did anything strange happen last night? Your bracelet monitors both recorded some abnormal readings, especially miss Yaoyorozu… your vital signs showed signs of a panic at-"

"Nothing serious happened, I'm doing just fine now."

Momo cut her off before she could say anymore but Todoroki felt sick after hearing what she said. He couldn't believe he had hurt her so badly.

"...Okay then, you're both in good health. I understand you have another exam tomorrow so why don't you two relax for the rest of the day, doctor's orders. I'll be working hard in the lab with my team going over the blood sample we took from Todoroki. Now that I know we're looking for a mutation or adaptation in your quirk, perhaps finding a cure will be easier than we thought. Keep your heads up students, leave the worrying to me."

They both gave a Recovery girl a deep bow for her continued efforts to help and left the lab in silence. They walked through the glass sliding doors of the hospital to feel the afternoon sun gleaming down on the U.A. campus. It was about 2 p.m. so they each had free time until retiring for the night. When they had reached the fountain in front of the U.A. trail, Todoroki stopped in his tracks. Momo kept walking like she was in her own world.

"Momo… Momo please listen."

She stopped, but kept her eyes on the fountain ahead of them.

"I've made so many mistakes that ended up hurting you. For you to experience something so horrible because of me and not say anything… I can't tell you enough how sorry I-"

"Stop. Please… stop."

Todoroki caught his breath as he heard her raspy words. Her shoulders shuddered as she began to cry. Her light delicate sobs tore at Todoroki's chest, but he couldn't say anything to comfort her. It was his fault for causing all of this. He had no right to ask for forgiveness. His fists clenched tight by his sides as he hung his head down and cursed everything that had put her in such a situation.

"Shoto…"

He looked up just as she stood before him, her hands placed delicately onto his chest. He stared into her wet, bloodshot eyes unsure of her actions.

"Please don't apologize to me for the things that you've been through. You're an incredible person who's been through a hellish upbringing. All of those things you said today, I'm glad you were able to tell me everything. I'm not scared by it, your story just makes me want to help you more. There's… there's nothing to forgive."

She spoke with her eyes on her hands. Her blushed, teary face seemed to shine in the sunlight. Todoroki felt it again, like his heart was beating for the first time. Her personality never failed to amaze him. The comfort she gave him no matter how much his power had affected her. She was selfless and kind, yet strong and willful. She was…

"Momo, you're the one who's incredible."

Her face lit up as she backed away slightly in embarrassment.

"W-W-Well thank you, I m-mean I wouldn't call myself that but Jiro and Mina are always say-"

She could no longer speak as Todoroki quickly approached her and pressed his lips into hers without a moment's hesitation. One hand found the small of her back while the other held the back of her head. He pressed his entire being into her, his heart and mind no longer clouded by uncertainty. Their connection activated and Momo received every single emotion in full clarity. From the impending doom of last night, to the sudden revelation of his feelings that morning, she felt it all at that moment. The noise of their monitoring bracelets went ignored as Todoroki pressed himself even closer to the person he cared for most. Time stopped for the both of them as unspoken emotions and hidden desires rose to the surface through the one of a kind connection that had bonded them.

The need for air was the only thing that could separate them as they both gasped for breath. Their eyes locked mere inches away from one another before Momo's conscious came back to her. The proper lady of the Yaoyorozu household tried to reason with her rather improper feelings for the boy in front of her.

"Y-You… That was…i-i-inappropriate!"

"Inappropriate? I thought it was amazing."

She looked at his dead-serious expression and remembered how dense he could be sometimes. Todoroki smiled gently at the frustrated tomato that was Momo's face. He had gotten it all off of his chest through their connection. While it scared him to think of the dangers of it, The power that connected them was truly remarkable. Communicating through touch allowed him to truly express himself. The note he had tried to give her in class had already been given to her through the touch of their lips.

He watched Momo's brain run rampant as she pressed her hands against her burning cheeks and faced away from him in a daze. He had been more forward with her than ever before so he couldn't blame her for being embarrassed.

"Was that a mistake? I didn't mean to be so aggressive all of a sudden, it just kind of…"

Momo shook her head with a bashful smile.

"Like you said, it was amazing..."

They made eye contact for a few seconds before they each turned away from the tension between them. Neither of the two found it unpleasant though. Momo was the first to break the surreal silence.

"...We should probably head back to the dorms. We both need to get some rest for tomorrow's practical exam."

"You're right, although I'm sure you'll get top marks like you did with the written portion."

"How do you know that without the results?"

"Because it's you. Your genius is only second to your work ethic."

"F-Flattery will get you nowhere… but I'm sure you did just as well Shoto. You work as hard anyone in our class"

"Is it really flattery if it's the truth?"

Momo could only giggle at Todoroki's to the point manner of speaking. Their conversation continued as the pair made their way across the U.A. campus. They discussed the topics that were covered on the written exam and how they about certain questions. From there they discussed their classmates and how they expected everyone to do. Talking to each other was easier than it had ever been, and before they knew it they were already next to the boys' dorm.

"Listen Momo, I just want to apologize again for last night. I'm sure it made it hard to get enough rest for the exam today."

"Remember what I said about apologizing? It's totally fine. I know why you acted that way and it's already forgiven. I suppose I could have used some that delicious tea you made in your room that one night…"

"I'd still like to make it up to you. Would you like to have some of that tea? I could put it in a thermos for you to heat up tonight."

"... Y-You don't mind?"

"Not at all, it's the least I could do. I'll even give you some tea leaves to make some more yourself later."

"That… that sounds lovely."

Todoroki gave her a small smile and motioned for her to follow him to the boys' dorm. He hadn't really thought ahead to the part where they would be alone in his bedroom together but to him, it didn't change much. He was just happy to be in her company. Momo on the other hand, was a nervous wreck after the spellbinding kiss she had just experienced. She knew she could trust Shoto more than any other boy, but it was herself she was worried about. She managed to hide her nerves except for a slight blush as the pair entered the lobby elevator. The pair had been so in their own heads that they failed to notice Midoriya, Kirishima and several other boys from class 1-A sitting on the couches in the lobby. Deku was the first to comment.

"Wow, they're such hard workers! Going to study right after an exam... we should all try to follow their example!"

Kirishima laughed aloud.

"I'm pretty sure they're going to do a different kind of studying, Midoriya"

"Hmm, what do you mean?"

"I think they're going to have a study session like the ones you and Uraraka san have been having."

The boys erupted in laughter as Midoriya's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Meanwhile, Momo was seated by the small Japanese style table in Todoroki's room while he finished boiling a pot of water with his quirk. He quickly prepared a large thermos for Momo and a small cup for himself. He carried them both over to the small table with care and took a seat.

"Here's a couple packets of tea leaves for later as well, I didn't realize you were so fond of the flavor."

Momo eyed him carefully, too prideful to admit that she liked the experience of drinking tea with him more than anything, but the taste was undeniably pleasant.

"You know how to make some good tea I'll give you that much. I should get going actually, but I'll have some with you now."

"That sounds great."

Momo poured a small sample of the delicious tea into the lid of the thermos and drank alongside the once aloof ice prince. The pair shared a moment of silence as they each appreciated the tea's soothing taste. The silence was broken by a fairly loud yawn from Momo, who's exhaustion was beginning to show. Last night's stress had taken its toll on her and not getting enough sleep wasn't something she was used to. With a final sip, she finished her cup of tea as Todoroki noticed how drowsy she was. Her eyelids fluttered and drooped as Todoroki moved towards her in concern.

"Momo? Are you feeling ok?"

Her head nodded up and down before she began to tilt towards Todoroki who caught her in a hurry. He tried to maintain his composure as he held her head against his chest. She was breathing just fine and her monitoring bracelet was silent, meaning that she was simply getting some well deserved rest. He held her gently, in awe of the quiet sound of her breath and the softness of her hair. While Todoroki was a gentleman through and through, he found himself staring long and hard at Momo's sleeping face. Her beautiful features grew soft and delicate and he found his hand moving to brush away the strands of hair covering it. He smiled freely like he did when he was a child as he appreciated the girl in his arms. He moved to give her cheek a gentle caress.

"Mhmm Shoto…"

He froze in place fearing his actions would be misinterpreted, but Momo seemed to be talking while half asleep. Before he could answer her, she continued.

"I'm happy… so happy… that you feel that way about me…"

He could barely contain the elation he felt at those words but he felt it was wrong to eavesdrop on her sleeping like this. Being careful not to wake her just yet, he reached a hand to the side of Momo's bag where he always saw her put her phone away. He silently pulled it out and input the password which he quickly noticed was Momo's birthday. He began typing a message to Jiro with his left hand while his right supported her body against him. He figured she was probably wondering where she was since this morning and he didn't want to cause any more worry than was necessary. He sent a succinct message telling her that Momo was taking a much-needed nap in his room and that things had worked out rather well.

He put the phone down on the table and went back to simply existing with a sleeping Momo in his arms. He saw a read receipt pop up on the phone from the corner of his eye and just a moment later he could have sworn he heard some of the boy's screams from downstairs. Not playful or funny screaming, just pure fear. He held his breath as he felt a presence seemingly teleport to his front door. It soundlessly opened bit by bit as Jiro's dark aura seeped in. Todoroki's instincts told him to jump out the window, but Momo's sleeping face had become a national treasure to him at this point so he boldly held his ground. Jiro approached him, eyeing him like a hawk. Her dark aura of overprotection was at full force, but the more she surveyed the situation, the more she realized that Momo was being well taken care of. In a flash her aura disappeared, only to be replaced by an impressive pouting face. She took a seat on the other side of the table, clearly wishing it were her who got hold Momo while she slept.

"Looks like you're having the time of your life holding our stunning princess in your arms Todoroki. Honestly if I hadn't had that talk with you this morning I would have snatched her out of your arms immediately…"

"I'm glad you didn't."

Jiro shot him a smirk and sighed.

"I'm relieved that you were able to work things out with her, I'll get the details from Momo later. You know, you look alot better than you did this morning. Did you get everything off your chest?"

Todoroki smiled down at Momo before answering.

"I didn't say much, but she knows everything I wanted to tell her."

Momo awoke soon after Jiro arrived in a panic of embarrassment but Jiro quickly calmed her down. After thanking Todoroki again for the thermos of homebrewed tea, Momo left with Jiro to spend the rest of the day resting in their dorm rooms. Todoroki glanced outside and noted that there were still a few more hours until sunset. To someone else that would mean more time for socializing or brushing up on fighting strategies. To Todoroki's old soul, it meant a couple more hours of sleep. He was fully confident in his abilities for the practical exam the next day. After a day full of surprises and newfound feelings, he laid down on his traditional style futon and let the lingering feeling of Momo's head against his chest lull him to sleep.

Both Todoroki and Momo awoke the next morning feeling like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. The unknown factors surrounding their connection were still there, but the pair felt a much deeper understanding of one another than they ever had before. Yesterday's events had given them the confidence that their problems could not only be solved but that something incredible could start from their struggles together.

Class 1-A gathered in the training facility that housed numerous locations for combat training that would be used for the exam. As if the universe had aligned in their favor, Todoroki and Momo found themselves paired together for the practical exam. They walked side by side into the suburban style training environment. Momo smiled confidently at her stoic partner.

"We're almost there Shoto. Our first step to becoming real heroes: It's right in front of us. Let's get through this together."

All Todoroki had to do was give a nod back. He was more than ready, and his chemistry with Momo would only make things go more smoothly. All the information they had was that they were up against Aizawa sensei, and they had to either bind him or escape through a designated area. Going up against their own homeroom teacher would be hard, but they had to have faith in the training they've done up until now. The pair marched to the center of the facility and awaited the signal to start their exam.

They waited on edge for about 5 minutes until a loud radio static filled the air. An announcement was broadcast to them in a loud mechanical voice.

"Attention Students, your examiner has been selected to be replaced by a special auxiliary hero. I repeat, your examiner has been selected to be replaced by a special auxiliary hero. The clear conditions for the exam have not changed."

Todoroki and Momo looked at each other in confusion. This definitely didn't seem routine but it might just be another test that U.A. was trying to throw at them. Expect the unexpected. That's what Todoroki told himself even when a chill ran down the back of his neck. The pair decided to move from their location after assuming that the exam had already begun. They found themselves on a long two way street that was lined with houses. That's when they began to feel the earth rumbling beneath their feet. It was light at first, but then it grew more intense as the environment around them began to rumble with each tremor.

The heroes in training assumed defensive positions as they prepared for the unknown threat. A final tremor sounded off, and then calm returned for a moment. Todoroki knew something was wrong, and then the change in the air crushed the hope he had slowly built up over time. With an earth wrenching impact, their new examiner landed 10 meters away in a ball of flame that sucked the oxygen right out of the air.

Todoroki's body screamed out in panic and yet refused to move a muscle. He saw Momo fall to her knees next to him from the impossibly hot air surrounding them. He could only watch as the man approached them slowly, eyes filled with endless rage and disgust. Never before had he felt so powerless against the unavoidable fate that he had inherited. There he stood, next to the person he needed to protect most, unable to act. It was unforgivable.

His anger at himself stoked the Hell flames within him as his vision became a sea of dark red. He felt himself move in front of Momo who was incapacitated behind him. When he looked forward, the dark emotions he held found their true target. The man who had cursed his very existence from the start: Endeavor.


End file.
